


The Imposter Prince and the Cathouse Castle

by Kougayon



Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akechi Goro Has A Palace, Alternate Universe, Aphrodisiacs, First Time, Foursome - M/M/M/M, Goro Week 2019, Kinks, Kissing, Little Bit of Tentacles, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Porn Addiction, Porn With Plot, Post-Canon, Rimming, Self-Cest?, The Thieves Play the King’s Game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-29
Updated: 2019-10-26
Packaged: 2020-11-01 06:36:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 30,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20810687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kougayon/pseuds/Kougayon
Summary: lone·li·ness/ˈlōnlēnəs/ noun.Symptoms include:- Sadness- Stress- Possible SatyriasisFactors that can possibly increase symptoms:- Falling in love|| I.E. Au where Akechi Goro’s sin is Lust/Despair ||





	1. A Confession

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO !!! Here is my entry for the Persona/Palace/Shadow prompt for Goro Week 2019!!  
I’ve actually been working on this fic for quite a LONG time, since late January actually. I’ve put a ton of thought and work into this so it’s definitely one of my biggest pieces yet. 
> 
> This au idea actually came to me in a dream once and after discussing it with some discord pals, I decided to really put it into words. 
> 
> Overall, this story is meant to be some good ol’ horny shenanigans fun™ but it’s also meant to have a more underlying meaning to it in regards to sexual addiction and its negativities. So its theme is also somewhat personal. I do hope y’all enjoy it!! ♡
> 
> Also HUGE thank you to [TwilightKnight17](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwilightKnight17/pseuds/TwilightKnight17) and [ammehsuor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ammehsuor/pseuds/ammehsuor) for beta reading this Big Giant for me
> 
> aaaand another thank you to amme for this AMAZING art of Shadow!Goro [Thotty Prince](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1048NDIb58zX55wkET3Jayi7mmfXVgT0p/view?usp=drivesdk)
> 
> And ANOTHER thank you to all of these artists for the absolutely GORGEOUS fanart of the prince!! 💞💞 thank y’all so much!! 
> 
> [Whore Prince by Edenfire](https://edenfire.tumblr.com/post/188795567650/oh-could-it-be-are-you-the-is-this-my)
> 
> [Whore Prince by @DykeMiku](https://twitter.com/dykemiku/status/1183025254735777792?s=21)

Labored breaths and deep sighs of pleasure rang all throughout the apartment. Desperate moans and calls of a certain boy’s name practically saturated the walls of the humble bedroom. 

“Akira… _ Akira…. _ ”

Goro’s shrill whines filled the quiet, empty space. The slick vibrator pumped in and out of his aching hole at a consistent yet relentless pace. He wanted more. He  _ needed  _ more. The more he felt the firm, rubber object pound against his prostate, the more his mind wandered to who should be doing it instead. 

The detective’s eyes were closed. His lips parted as he gasped, pink tongue poking out to lick the dryness away every now and then. 

“Yes…Fuck, Akira. You feel so good—  _ Fu-fuck _ , I want you so bad.” 

It felt so good. It felt so  _ easy _ , to think about him. To just close his eyes and let his thoughts take over, his fantasies. He couldn’t stop imagining it, the view of Kurusu Akira staring down at him, those gentle yet spirited gray eyes gazing into his of auburn. His hips moving back and forth at an increasing pace, the tip of his cock hitting at  _ just  _ the right angle. 

Goro couldn’t get enough of it. 

His other hand trailed up his hips. His slim fingers ghosted over the sensitive underside of his cock and he maneuvered with caution. Despite his delicate touches, however, he found himself far too pent up due to his wild imagination. He allowed his fingers to wrap themselves around his shaft and pump furiously, knuckles brushing underneath his tip as he rolled his thumb over the crown of his cock, causing him to writhe and squirm. 

He continued this exact process and not even a minute later, he found himself clenching around the vibrator, an intense and far too familiar heat pooling in his stomach. 

“A-Aki—Akira...!”

Goro’s orgasm hit him  _ hard;  _ the gasps and sighs that filled the quiet space quickly turned to broken screams of rapture. A warmth oozed over his cramped fingers after leaving streaks of white all over his abdomen and chest. It rocked him to his very core. 

He’d screamed the boy’s name, saw him in his mind, even smiled softly as it all felt so real. 

Damn him. Damn him for having this drastic of an effect on him. But more importantly, damn Goro’s imagination for once again fooling him into believing that it was real. 

When the brunette opened his eyes, Akira vanished- and in his place were the worn-down, white tiles of his apartment ceiling. 

Goro’s smile faded. 

God damn it. 

He did it  _ again.  _

  
  
  
  
  
  


Goro Akechi has a problem. 

A rather  _ big _ problem. 

He originally never intended for anyone to know about this. It was a secret he deduced he’d much prefer to take to the grave with him; however, his little personal issue had grown exceptionally since he last checked on it a few months back. It began eating away at his own vitality and hindering the poor detective from his progression into his new life, away from the clutches of his good-for-nothing father after he’d finally been put away permanently. 

So now here he is, coming to Kurusu Akira for help. 

When Goro explained his little  _ complication _ , the thief wasn’t actually sure what to make of it. 

He was… surprised, to say the least. He never expected to hear such an outrageous and comparatively nonsensical story come out of his friend’s mouth.

Apparently Goro has a palace. 

Not just any palace either, according to the brunette. 

They both sit next to each other at the bar counter in Leblanc, glass mugs of steaming coffee held in their hands and staring at one another in silence for what seems like forever until Goro finally speaks his mind.

“So, will you help me or not?” Goro mumbles as a light blush spreads across his blanched face. 

Akira considers for a moment, still stunned by the whole request. “I mean I — Of course I’ll help, you’re my friend, Goro. No matter what.” The former detective stares at him with pressed lips. “But we’ll likely need help from the others—”

“No.”

“Huh?” Akira replies, slightly taken aback at the immediate refusal. 

“I mean… ‘No’ to the part about letting the others know. None of them can know about this, let alone  _ see  _ it. I won’t have it.”

Now the thief is even  _ more  _ confused. Why would Goro not want the others? Doesn't he want help? 

“What do you mean  _ you won’t have it _ ? You of all people should know how dangerous it would be to go into some unknown palace with just the two of us.” 

“Y-Yes — Damn it, I  _ know  _ that!” Goro’s voice took on a more aggravated tone. “It’s just… you don’t understand. I can’t let anyone know about it. It took all my strength just to tell  _ you.  _ It’s just too…  _ humiliating _ .” 

Akira looks down to see Goro clenching his gloved hands around his mug. Even now he still insists on wearing those things, despite his detective days long being over. The thief assumes they brought him comfort, or perhaps he’s just too self-conscious about his scarred hands, courtesy of years of business in the Metaverse. 

Of course he understands. Having a palace is never a good thing, clearly. It means one has some deep, dark secret behind the mask they wear: something that sparks or enables a corrupted desire. Admitting the problem is the first step to tackling one’s own cognitive disaster. 

Akira understands. That’s why he’s willing to trust in his friend’s judgment as well as respect his wishes. Albeit he hopes he won’t regret that later. 

“...All right.” Akira shoots an understanding gaze at the other while setting his mug down. “But I still can’t have it be just the two of us, as much as you don’t want to hear that. We need to bring at least two other members. It’s safer that way.” 

Goro bites his lip, gaze shifting downward into the pool of coffee reflecting within his cup. He looks like he wants to object further, but Akira is already ahead of him in proper reasoning. “This is  _ your  _ palace. You’re going to be seeing  _ your  _ own cognitive trauma. Look, it’s not that I don’t trust you to do a good enough job, but this will be an intense experience for you. Don’t deny the very real possibility that you might struggle while progressing through… whatever this place is.” The focus on the detective’s eyes wavers slightly in his continuous gaze. “If something goes wrong it would be useful to have an extra pair of hands ready.” 

Goro thinks for a moment, gaze still unmoving. Akira knows that look. Thoughts of all kinds probably moved throughout his mind at a million miles per hour as he contemplates the logic of the situation versus his dignity.

After a long pause, he sighs. “Fine, you’re right… I’ll take Takamaki and Niijima...and the cat.” 

“Ann? Really? That was quick.” 

Goro huffs. “I trust her. Besides, we’ve been talking more. She’s a bit like you, in a way… more understanding, I think. Niijima is someone I’m already fairly used to being around. As for Morgana, I don’t really mind him. Plus, we will likely need a navigator.” 

The thief folds his hands on top of the bar. All right, good. They’re getting somewhere. “Why not just bring along Futaba, then—” 

“ _ N-No!! _ ” Goro instantly snaps out of his staring contest with his mug and retracts his hands in a flinch, nearly knocking over the cup. He looks almost horrified at Akira’s simple question. “Absolutely not. She’s probably the  _ last  _ person I want in there.” 

Akira stares at him, puzzled. “...Huh? Why? You know this will be much harder without her?” 

The detective’s shame visibly spreads across his face in a contortion of nervousness and discomposure. “I know that. But just… trust me, when you see my palace you’ll understand why I am not comfortable with someone like her being… exposed to such a sight.” 

“ _ Futaba?  _ She may be young, but she’s a lot stronger than you think.” 

Goro inhales, breath uneasy and somewhat shaken. “It is not a matter of strength, Akira. I do not doubt her capabilities. But this place… I've done that girl enough harm as it is. I needn’t add any more by taking her into a place so horrendous.” 

Akira doesn’t understand at all, but ultimately decides to drop the question. It’s strange though, the way Goro shifts uncomfortably in his seat, fumbling his hands and purposely avoiding the raven’s eyes. 

Akira has a feeling that whatever desire this palace revolves around, it’s not pretty. 

“...May I ask what kind of palace this  _ is,  _ exactly?” 

Goro flinches slightly at the question. He hesitates for a moment before finally allowing words to spill from his lips. “It’s… probably easier if you simply see it for yourself.” 

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Akechi Goro,” the thief says clearly into the phone. The metanav immediately responds, its robotic voice echoing into the evening air outside of the Goro’s apartment building. 

“It’s a hit. He has a palace all right,” Morgana mewls from his place atop Akira’s shoulders. 

“So you really  _ do  _ have one, huh...?” Ann mutters, somewhat disappointed.

“Now for the keywords,” says Akira as he holds the phone up expectantly. 

The dim clouds above cast a shadow over Goro’s features, as his head tilts downward to avoid the other two thieves’ eyes. “All of Tokyo.” Another ring from the metanav sounds off into the air. 

“ _ All of Tokyo? _ What could you possibly picture  _ all  _ of Tokyo to be, to the point where it’s a palace to you?” says Makoto, tucking a tuft of dark brown behind her ear with a frown. Goro merely turns his head and doesn’t answer. 

“One more, now.”

Goro stares at the phone, a frown quickly spreading across his face. He’s made it clear that he’s quite embarrassed over this place… whatever the hell this place even  _ is.  _ In a way, Akira is almost nervous about seeing it. Him and Ann both. They  _ did  _ agree to help their friend, though. No going back now. 

“Come on, Goro.” 

The brunette sighs and makes a somewhat sulking face as he presses his lips together, riling himself up before leaning into the speaker and whispering the final keywords. 

“...Cathouse.” 

The words are uttered hardly above hearing, but the air immediately begins to swirl around them regardless, warping their bodies, minds, and reality itself and effectively taking them into the metaverse. 

  
  


“W-Where are we…?”

Once the tantalizing swirls of their real world fade into the space of the metaverse at last, they’re immediately greeted with an unexpected sight. 

Forest gardens, as far as the eye could tell, replace all of the average, worn down apartment buildings from moments ago. A colorful array of pinks, greens, and violets decorate the ground all around them as well as surround a glistening, stone-lined stream nearby. Upon closer inspection, it’s hardly even realistic water- more like a mirror reflecting the vibrant colors of cherry blossoms and bright oak trees along the edge of the river. 

The bobble head of Morgana’s metaverse form tilts in equal confusion as he crosses his arms. “Crow’s cognition, apparently…” 

“It’s kind of beautiful, actually.” Ann gestures to the vibrant surroundings. “Isn’t there an actual palace, though? Is it just these woods..?” 

“Aha… I wish. No, the palace is somewhere deeper in the ‘Ardor Woods.’ If we follow the river flow, it should lead us straight to it.” Goro is already making his way down towards the edge of the water with little regard for whether the four behind him are even following. “Come.” 

Honestly, for someone who came to  _ them  _ for help, he sure is being elusive. The other four thieves glance at one another in concern before shrugging and following their friend’s lead before he inadvertently leaves them behind. 

“By the way,” Ann wonders, “back then, in the real world, you said…  _ ‘cathouse _ ,’ didn’t you? What’s a cathouse?” 

Goro’s shoulders drop a bit and he sighs quietly at the question. He turns his head to look at the blonde with a wavering smile, a nervous laugh catching in his throat. “It’s...well, it’s a... Ugh, I’d rather not explain it, in all honesty. You will know when you see it for yourself.” 

They continue on their path for some time, following closely behind Goro’s lead along the brick wall-lined river. Everything in this forest is so vibrant and rosy. The leaves, the flowers, the soft running stream... even the ground itself is scattered all over with fallen pink petals from the plants and trees.

“Hey, what’s that?” Ann as she points to something in particular through the woods. 

The four of them pause and follow her sight to find what appears to be a black-armored figure standing perfectly still some distance away. It looks to be watching them.

“Is it a shadow?” Mona asks. 

“No, it couldn’t be,” argues Goro. “There shouldn’t be any shadows this far out here.”

Akira eyes the figure. If he squints, it looks sort of like… no, that’s silly. 

He shakes his head. “We should keep going.” 

.

.

.

Not long into their journey, the four begin to feel a different vibe than from where they first entered the world. Before they know it, splotches of ink-like energy engulf their bodies momentarily and they look down to see themselves in their usual Phantom Thief attire.

Ann’s eyes widen. “Our clothes...”

“That means he sees us as threats, apparently...” Morgana frowns, looking up at the brunette now clad in his truer, striped suit of black-masked armor. 

He merely glances at the anthropomorphic feline and shakes his head. “It’s less that you’re a threat and more like me feeling abnormally anxious. Regardless, we’re now across the kingdom border. Come, we’re getting close.” 

Finally, they come across a more open range of space. The number of trees and wilderness become thinner and thinner until finally they arrive to what Akira assumes is the palace itself. 

“Oh—!” Ann exclaims. 

Once they’re beyond the line of the trees, the thieves are able to get a proper view of the supposed palace before them. 

It’s a  _ castle _ , enormous and sparkling. A huge and magnificent structure constructed entirely out of bricks as pale as snow. The roofing and conical spires built along various places of the palace are fastened with dark colored tiles, a few of them topped with decorative ornaments such as statues and things of iron that appear to glare at any who dare to look up at them. At the base of the castle is an impressively large moat surrounding the whole of the structure. Fortunately, the drawbridge is already lowered down to connect the two lands and allow access. 

Overall, it’s an enormous and intimidating piece of architecture. It almost reminds Akira of Kamoshida’s palace, except with a much more welcoming in appearance. 

Makoto’s eyes widen. “ _ This _ place? This is your palace? A castle?” 

“Well, I suppose it makes sense, given the whole detective ‘prince’ persona and whatnot,” Morgana huffs. “But geez, what’s the point in having a defense mechanism like a moat if the bridge is just going to be down anyway? It’s like he  _ wants  _ people to come steal his treasure.”

“So, Crow thinks he’s some sort of...what, princess? This looks more like a princess castle from a Disney movie.” Ann can’t help but giggle in her hints of confusion. 

Akira glances over to see his friend visibly shivering with his fists clenched by his side from frustration. Despite his face for the most part being obscured by his metallic, toothy mask, he can see glimpses of his teeth gritting together. Whatever this place is, or what it may hold, he’s practically  _ seething  _ just from looking at it. Must be pretty bad… 

For the sake of sparing his friend from further discomfort, he elects to interrupt the rest of his small crew’s guessing session. “It doesn’t matter what this place looks like. Regardless, it’s still a palace. Keep your guard up,” he says with the wave of his gloved hand, ordering the others to follow him across the wooden drawbridge and into the castle. 

The clack of his heels against the pristine, black marble floors is the first thing to hit his ears as they enter the palace, and the light of the chandeliers suspended above reflecting off of its polished surface is the first thing that catches his eye. Joker and the rest of them stop in their tracks to look around in complete and utter awe at the place. 

The inside of the palace holds a much more grand, yet elegant, design. Akira feels his head automatically tilt itself upwards towards the tall ceiling, admiring the intricate designs carved into the pale pink and golden-colored stone walls. Slowly bringing his head back down, he allows himself a moment to register the rest of the castle’s interior: a large stairwell stands before him in the center of the enormous room, the railings all decorated with garlands of bright pink and red flowers along the top of them. Each stone step is blanketed with a fuschia carpet as it leads up to the top of the flight. At the top lie two more stairwells on either side that lead even further upward. Candelabras are placed here and there around the main foyer to give a rather dim yet visibly pink lighting that accentuates the color of the flowers. 

The whole place is gorgeous. It’s almost hard to believe that it’s a place of danger. 

Makoto quirks a confused smile while glancing around. “Wow, it sure is... _ pink.”  _

“Actually, it’s salmon.”

The other thieves turn their attention towards the top of the stairs where the eerily familiar voice came from. Akira glances over to Goro first to find him already staring up intently at the source, as if he was immediately aware of their presence before the rest of them. 

At the top of the large and extravagant staircase lies a far more exuberant sight: a spitting image of Akechi Goro himself, sitting atop one of the stair railings with his legs crossed. However, he appears significantly different. 

The stranger bears mostly the same features as its real self, although its attire and appearance are altered drastically. This version of Goro wears what appears to be a brightly colored pink crop top with insignias written on its front. Below his exposed stomach lies only a pair of lace panties and an arrangement of light pink garter belts and buckles that wrap roguishly around his hips and thighs, as well as around the white thigh-high socks covering most of his legs. On the upper part of his thigh, lies a white, lace garterbelt with what Akira assumes to be a small knife kept within it. All of it serving to accentuate his curves and showcase his androgynous features in the most garish way imaginable. The most surprisingly jarring detail to Akira, however, is the black leather collar adorned with pink ribbons and a heart-shaped tag lining his neck. A small, gold crown decorated with equally pink gemstones sits slightly tilted atop his head. 

The raven finally looks up to find those signature, glowing yellow eyes of the shadow glaring straight at them and feels himself swallow a lump in his throat. He slightly feels ashamed at the fact that his pants are tightening at such an audacious sight. Overall, the shadow is just a completely embarrassing thing to look at in more ways than one. 

“Hiii~” The shadow grins and waves. 

He looks like Goro and even sounds like him, except he speaks in a much more...oddly  _ flamboyant _ manner. 

“What...is that?” Makoto questions, both confused and mildly horrified. The rest of the thieves gaze up at the creature in an equally frightened sort of bewilderment. 

Before anyone can so much as utter another word, however, Goro draws his own gun and aims it towards his vulgar copy, firing several bullets only for them to miraculously bounce off of something unseeable. 

“—Crow!!” 

“S-Stop it—what are you doing!? Do you have any idea what could happen if you kill it??” Ann berates him.

The brunette merely sighs and lowers the still-smoking weapon, appearing disappointed but unsurprised. “Relax, it’s not like I can kill it anyway. Look at it.”

Lo and behold, he’s right. Looking at the other, he’s completely unharmed, somehow. The shadow simply giggles vexatiously behind a slender hand to his lips. 

“Oh, that was a cute little try, but you know better than to attempt something like that. What, did you honestly think I would come here unprepared?” With the snap of his fingers, a faint, reflective streak across what appears to be an invisible barrier reveals itself.  _ Tetrakarn,  _ huh..? Well, at least they know one of its abilities now. “You’re also well-aware of the consequences of killing your shadow anyway, aren’t you?” 

“Don’t tempt me, this is humiliating enough,” Goro threatens in a low voice, partially muffled by his helmet. 

The shadow simply hums and twirls his hair between a manicured finger as he glances around at the rest of the party behind the brunette. Its eyes instantly light up the moment they land on Akira. 

“ _ Oh?  _ Could it be!? Are you the…” The cognitive creature’s breathing picks up into a heavy, drunken sort of manner as he folds his arms across his chest and rocks himself side to side, shuddering. “Is this my handsome knight in shining armor? The one I’ve been  _ dreaming  _ of taking me away from this awful, awful place for sooo long?”

The group simply stares at the shadow for a long moment in wild confusion. 

“Hey, Crow, what’s it talking about?” asks Mona. The boy doesn’t answer. Upon closer inspection, it almost looks as if he’s…shaking somewhat. After a moment, however, the shadow stops its excited reactions the more it looks at him. The flicker of untamed ferality disappears in his eyes and his shoulders drop. 

“Ohh, wait. I don’t believe you’re the same one I’m looking for,” the copy sighs. “Aww, and here I thought someone had finally brought my beloved knight to me at long last… Oh well—!”

“Would you just  _ SHUT UP  _ already and tell us what we need to do so you can crawl back to whatever hole you came from!?” Goro barks. 

The shadow pouts childishly at the harsh interruption. “Umph, you’re no fun…But, oh! How silly of me, I haven’t even properly introduced myself to my cute new guests—”

Goro’s shadow hops down from the railings and lays one hand on his hip while the other flicks at the glimmering crown upon his head to straighten it better. “ _ I  _ am his Royal Highness, Prince Akechi! As ruler, I gracefully welcome you all to my Brothel of Royalty~!!”

Makoto nearly has a heart attack at its words. “B-Brothel?!” 

“I-Is  _ that  _ what a cathouse is!?” Ann stammers. 

The shadow ignores their cries of shock and continues, “The way my castle of fun works is really quite simple: there are six overall levels, including this one and the chambers below it. You will need to complete a few rather…  _ rollicking  _ little trials for three of them. Succeed, and you’ll win one of these,” the prince produces a small, heart-shaped antique key from his stockings. 

“You will need  _ these  _ little kingdom keys in order to access a new level. Win them all, and I’ll let you take a peek at your  _ dear prince’s bedroom _ at the top.” The last words are uttered in a suggestive and sultry tone as the shadow licks its lips at the thought. “Well then, good luck!! Hopefully I will get the pleasure of seeing at least  _ one  _ of you at my door,” he says as he turns his back to the rest of them. The unsettling wink he shoots at Akira in particular sends a chill down his spine. 

“Bye now~” The shadow then snaps its fingers, which briefly cuts the lights. When the candles relight themselves, it’s gone. 

The five thieves just sit there in silence for a few seconds. Completely dumbfounded at what in the world they had just witnessed as they attempt to process it all. 

“To be honest, when you said ‘cathouse,’ I was kind of expecting like a cute cat cafè or something,” Ann laughs awkwardly. Goro scoffs. 

“Well, my apologies then for not living up to your expectations.” 

Yikes. He should probably interject before this gets any more awkward. “At any rate, we should go and head to the next floor. Know anything about where we should go next, Crow?” 

“As a matter of fact, I do.” Goro reaches into one of his striped sleeves and produces a small key similar to the one the shadow was holding earlier. Ah, so that’s where he keeps stuff in that weird suit. He hands the small item to Akira. 

Ann’s eyes widen. “That’s…”

“That  _ thing  _ gave this to me when I first entered this horrible place. It’s the key to the second floor. Told me it was a ‘personal freebie to his real self,’ or something along those lines. It’s quite gross, isn’t it?” 

“It’s a  _ start,” _ says Makoto. 

Morgana keens. “What are we standing around for then? Let’s go!” 

Akira leads them up the extravagant, flower-lined golden stairs and to a far fancier door. Putting the key in, he slowly turns it until a ‘click’ rings throughout the empty air and ushers them all inside.

The sight beyond is quite a drastic change from the first floor foyer. Rather than the influx of pastel and pink, it is a dark mix of red and black. They stand in a long corridor stretching into the room at the very end of it; a dark red ceiling adorned with iridescent chandeliers blended together with the dark red drapes and shag carpets covering the walls and floors of the single hallway. The thieves dash carefully until they reach the room.

It’s a waiting room of sorts, perhaps a lounge. It too is decorated under the same aesthetic of black and rouge. Black carpet and red velvet wallpaper with damask patterns as well as various antique mirrors line the walls surrounding the room. Velvety red chairs and polished, dark-wood coffee tables are placed here and there. A bar lies on the opposite side of the room. All of it under a dim, red and gold lighting. 

“A cocktail lounge?” Makoto asks. 

Panther’s eyes light up. “Oohh, fancy.”

“Well, I’m sorry to disappoint, but we’re not here for cocktails. We’re here for  _ that _ .” Goro gestures to a podium in the center of the room. “Now, granted, I’ve only explored the first and second floor of the palace. I haven’t had the opportunity to actually attempt the first trial. Therefore, beyond this, I have no idea what is in store for us.”

That’s odd. “Why not?” 

“It’s because apparently you need more than one person to perform most of the trials. I don’t understand it, but to be honest, that notion makes me nervous.”

“Well then, all we can do is give it a shot.” Akira straightens his gloves and leads the others up to the waist-high wooden podium. Upon closer inspection, there is a single, flashing red button attached to the center with the words  ** _‘Start The Game!!’ _ ** on it. After the five of them glance to one another and nod in silent agreement, Joker removes a hand from his pocket and pushes the button. 

The moment he does, however, the top of the podium flips over to reveal a new surface, a control panel of some sort with four long, oddly shaped and vibrantly colored rubber levers. Actually, the levers sort of look like… 

A hot blush immediately spreads across the girls’ faces as well as Joker himself. “A-Are those…” 

“W-W-Why are there…Why are  _ those  _ things sticking out of the podium!?” Ann stammers. 

Ann and Makoto aren’t the only ones with a burning shade of red darkening their features. Akira glances over to see Goro staring at the neon sex objects with a dropped jaw and a look of pure horror etched across his face. The raven can’t exactly blame him though. Even he found himself gawking a bit awkwardly at the arrangement of blue, green, red, and pink dildos lined across the board before them. Seriously, what the  _ hell  _ kind of game is  _ this _ ?

“What? What’s wrong? Why’s everyone freaking out...?” Morgana frowns as he looks around. The former detective shakes his head and runs a clawed hand down his face. “Perhaps bringing the cat along as a navigator wasn’t as good of an idea as I thought…” 

Suddenly, something drops down from the ceiling before the lever podium, startling the thieves. It’s an electronic sign board held up by two strings of flashing lights on either side, much like something out of a tacky game show. The monitor itself lights up and words begin to burn across the screen. 

** _“WELCOME TO THE ONE AND ONLY SPOILED ROYAL’S JIZZ QUIZ!!”_ **

“The  _ WHAT!?” _ Goro yells. The words on the monitor change as even more tacky game show music begins to play in the background. 

** _“YOU WILL BE GIVEN SIX SUPER QUIZZY QUESTIONS, EACH ONE MORE DIFFICULT THAN THE LAST—”_ **

Panther laughs cheerfully. “Ahaha, so it’s like an actual game show? Weird dildo levers aside, that actually sounds pretty f—”

** _“ABOUT HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCE AKECHI’S SEX LIFE!”_ **

“O-Oh.” 

Goro looks as if he’s about to have a god damn heart attack. Even through his helmet, Akira can tell he’s sweating. The poor boy only stands there shaking in pure horror for a moment before gritting his teeth and glaring at the monitor as if it had just personally offended him. “W-What the  _ FUCK is this!?”  _

** _“THE RULES ARE SIMPLE: _ **

** _All PARTICIPANTS ABSOLUTELY MUST ANSWER TOGETHER, NO LOOKING AWAY!_ **

** _ANSWER CORRECTLY, AND YOU WILL HEAR A NOISE INDICATING SUCH AND WILL MOVE ONTO THE NEXT QUESTION WITH EASE!! ANSWER WRONG…AND THE CONSEQUENCES WILL BE SEVERE!!”_ **

Mona’s eyes widen. “Severe..!?”

** _“ANSWER EVERY QUESTION SUCCESSFULLY AND YOU WILL BE GENEROUSLY REWARDED!! _ **

** _AND REMEMBER… ANSWER _ ** ** _HONESTLY_ ** ** _._ **

** _NOW LET US BEGIN!!” _ **

Akira isn’t sure what these ‘consequences’ are, but clearly they can’t be anything good. Best keep his guard up. 

** _“QUESTION #1: _ **

** _What is Prince Akechi’s favorite category of internet porn?”_ **

** _A.) Threesome_ **

** _B.) Twink_ **

** _C.) Shibari_ **

** _D.) Vanilla_ **

The awkward silence that enraptures the room immediately following the drop of the question is so intense it’s almost painful. The group pauses for a solid moment, staring deadpan at the decorative screen with their heads tilted, everyone collectively bewildered at the situation. Goro must have noticed him staring because he quickly whips his helmeted head around to glare at the raven through those red-tinted eye coverings. “ _ What?” _

Joker rubs the back of his head awkwardly as he addresses the other boy. “Well, Crow…these questions  _ are  _ about  _ you _ .” 

“You can’t honestly be serious. Just  _ look  _ at what’s up there!” 

Akira crosses his arms. “Do you want that key or not?”

The two remain staring at each other for what feels like forever. Eventually, Goro’s shoulders drop and he sighs, approaching the podium and looking over each lever before making a decision. The brunette bites his lip and reaches for the vibrantly colored pink lever, pulling it down quickly. 

** _“....WRONG.”_ **

The monitor then flashes red and another door opens up in the ceiling, this time dropping down an inky figure that quickly melts itself into the form of a shadow, particularly a succubus. 

“On your left!!” Mona warns. 

The five immediately go to work at drawing their weapons on the creature and initiating a coordinated attack. Panther’s attempts at a fire attack are obviously futile; luckily the two boys manage to take the heinous ambusher down with a few bullet shots, already well aware of its weaknesses. In an instant, the shadow disappears with a cry. 

Not exactly a challenging foe, however that  _ was  _ a dangerous considering the fact that it was a surprise attack. The moment it’s taken down, they all turn to glare daggers at the former detective. 

“Crow!! What was  _ that _ !?”

“You picked the wrong answer?”

“How did you not know??”

Joker approaches the brunette with a hand on his hip, tilting his head at the other boy with skepticism yet concern. “You picked the wrong answer on purpose, didn’t you?” 

Goro doesn’t respond. 

“I know this isn’t exactly easy for you, but  _ please _ . You  _ have  _ to do this. You have to overcome this game and yourself. It’s the only way to beat this place for good.”

God damn it. Akira  _ knows  _ this is difficult, that much is obvious. Hell, he’s right, this isn’t exactly something that leaves one’s dignity entirely intact by the end of it. And this is just the  _ first trial _ apparently. As the shadow said from before, it is only going to become gradually worse and worse from here on out. He can’t particularly blame Goro for being so hesitant about furthering through with this. Although, he can’t give up here. He definitely has to keep going. Akira will make sure of that enough. 

“...Do you want  _ me  _ to pull it?”

“I can pull my  _ own  _ lever, thank you,” he growls before reaching for the neon-red phallus marker under answer ‘C’ and yanking it down. 

** _“...O-Ohh!!”_ **

The sudden, loud audio of a moan sounding throughout the room causes a wave of hesitant silence to fill the room around them, mixed with the faint clinking of glasses from the shadowy figure over behind the bar counter. 

“W-What was  _ that!?” _

“I guess that’s the ‘correct answer noise’ we were told of earlier..” 

Now everybody in this room knows what former Detective Prince Akechi Goro’s favorite and most searched for category of internet pornography is, apparently. Not exactly something Akira had thought much of before, but regardless, it sends a small blush across his face. 

“ _ Ugh,  _ okay!! Can we please just move onto the next one?” Goro urges, clearly embarrassed. 

Morgana continues to look around with a confused frown. “Wait, what’s shibari?” 

** _“QUESTION #2:_ **

** _Which of the following accurately describes Prince Akechi’s mostly preferred sexual role?”_ **

** _A.) Top_ **

** _B.) Bottom_ **

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Goro is definitely not happy about any of this. 

“And here I thought the  _ last one  _ was embarrassing,” Joker mutters. 

Akira suddenly feels a slight tug at one of his coat tails. He glances down to find Mona looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Hey, Joker. What does this one mean now?” It is at that moment that Akira internally curses the metaverse for making his only two qualified navigators a choice between a cat or his adopted little sister. 

Joker notices Goro hesitating while choosing an option. 

“What’s wrong now?”

“It is...neither of these. I-I consider myself a switch.”

“Well,” Joker fiddles with his gloves again, “it says ‘prefered.’ So, pick the one you lean more towards.” 

“This is so  _ stupid _ …” Goro mumbles as he reaches for the green lever, selecting ‘B.’ 

** _“...Hmnn!!”_ **

“Ah...” Joker looks away with a gloved hand covering his face in an attempt to hide his obvious blush. 

All of this newfound information about the former detective is seriously starting to get to Akira. Should he feel ashamed? The fact that he  _ likes  _ the other boy doesn’t make things better either; if anything it only makes him feel that much more guilty. This palace is so embarrassing. He hopes they can finish it quickly with no problems. 

** _“QUESTION #3:_ **

** _Which of the following is Prince Akechi?”_ **

** _A.) Sadist_ **

** _B.) Masochist _ **

This time the other boy says nothing as he simply closes his eyes and pulls the blue lever for ‘A.’

** _“...Aaahh!!”_ **

Panther laughs awkwardly. “Wow, ahaha... we sure are learning a lot about Crow, huh..?”

“Not a single word of this to  _ anyone _ ,” Goro seethes. 

** _“QUESTION #4:_ **

** _What is Prince Akechi’s favorite way to get himself off?”_ **

** _A.) Hand strokes_ **

** _B.) Penetration by toy_ **

** _C.) Fleshlight _ **

** _D.) Fingering_ **

Makoto attempts to ease him. “You know it’s...it’s not that bad. It really is okay, Crow—”

“Shut up,  _ shut up.”  _ Goro growls through his helmet and gives another crank of a lever. This time it’s…‘B.’ Wow…

** _“...Oohh!!”_ **

Panther shakes her head. “I just hope we don’t have to hear these embarrassing sounds anymore for the rest of the palace..” 

** _“QUESTION #5:_ **

** _What is Prince Akechi’s ‘kinkiest kink’ per say?”_ **

** _A.) BDSM_ **

** _B.) Tentacles _ **

** _C.) Exhibitionism_ **

** _D.) Choking_ **

Goro nearly chokes. “C-Come on— How do  _ I  _ even answer this!?”

“U-Uhm…” suggests Queen, “I suppose it’s whichever one you enjoy the most…?”

Goro seriously looks as if he’s about to scream, cry, and kick something all at once out of pure frustration. The questions continue to gradually increase on a more and more personal level as promised and it shows. 

“Come on, Crow. We’re almost done with this. Just rip the bandaid off,” Akira says. The brunette seethes and reaches a shaky hand between the levers. “You know it’s futile trying to even lie on this one, right?”

“Yes, yes— I  _ know.  _ They’re  _ all _ horrendous.”

“Well I...I didn’t mean it like  _ that _ .”

Goro ignores him and reaches for one of the levers anyway. Akira glances down to notice his selection. 

** _“...Hahh!!”_ **

Despite his blush, Akira grins teasingly. “I hope you weren’t doing such a thing in public as a  _ cop _ , Mr. Detective.” 

“Fuck off.”

** _“FINAL QUESTION:_ **

** _How many teammates in this room currently has Prince Akechi ever thought about having sex with at least once?”_ **

** _A.) 0_ **

** _B.) 1_ **

** _C.) 3_ **

** _D.) 4 _ **

“AAH—” Goro lets out a panicked shriek before anyone can so much as react to the question and practically throws himself at the console as he immediately goes for the third lever. 

** _“...A-Aaahnn!!”_ **

** _“CONGRATULATIONS AND THANK YOU FOR PLAYING!!”_ **

The shameless sounds of a climatic moan ring throughout the quiet air of the lounge as an object suddenly drops from the ceiling suspended by a rope; a key. It’s appearance is followed by a burst of colorful confetti comically shooting out of the tip of the levers, signaling that the five thieves have officially completed the rather humiliating game. Wow. Classy. 

A solid moment of silence passes between the group. Goro is still leaned over the console and absolutely refusing to even  _ look  _ at them. 

Ann is the first to speak up, bless her. “C-Crow, it’s fine—”

“Shut up, shut up—please just  _ shut up. _ ”

Makoto steps forward. “Crow, before we go any further...would you mind telling us what exactly this place is about? I think it’s only fair that we know what to expect at this point.”

Goro’s shoulders drop into a deep, heavy sigh as he continues staring down at the control panel. “Assassin and detective work can be quite taxing, you see. Especially when you don’t have very many others to share your burdens with prior to meeting all of you.” He still refuses to look any of them in the eye, keeping his head tilted downward. 

“I’ve developed a sort of...habit-turned-addiction. I suppose you could think of it as some sort of ‘coping mechanism’ or something along those lines.”

Morgana shakes his head. “Can you really call it a coping mechanism if it’s resulted in a  _ palace,  _ though?”

Goro laughs, defeat in his voice. “No...No, I suppose you can’t.”

“Not a healthy one at least,” Ann chimes in. 

Akira approaches him then and lays a hand on his shoulder, urging him straighten up and face them. “You’re gonna get through this, Crow. We’re gonna help you. All the way.” 

The silence lingers until Goro finally straightens himself and steps away from the podium to face the raven, a faint flicker of a smile pulling at his lips from behind the dark helmet. He sighs and snags the key from the suspended rope. “I suppose you are right. Let us move on, then.”


	2. Three Heads Are Better Than One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thieves continue to traverse the depths of the shadow prince’s castle. However, they soon discover that these trials aren’t as easy as they initially thought...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter two posted up on a Friday night! As promised! This is where things get spicy so I really hope y’all enjoy! 
> 
> Also I realized a little too late that the link to ammehsuor’s art in the notes of last chapter didn’t show up, apologies for that. So here’s a fixed link! 
> 
> Some art of your favorite Whore Prince:  
[Thotty Prince](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1048NDIb58zX55wkET3Jayi7mmfXVgT0p/view?usp=drivesdk)
> 
> Also I made a small playlist to listen to while you read if you want:   
<https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLuSGZOc4T4ctkv95QGf4MLal4lEL8CvSP>

After finding their way through the next set of hallways beyond the lounge area, avoiding shadow detections and finding a couple of safe rooms, they eventually come to a stop before what appears to be a large entrance masked with a set of decorative double curtains. A small, iron post-it sign is displayed out before it as well as a small table of shot glasses containing a mysterious substance. 

Queen squints at the sight of it. “What’s this now?” She bends down to properly read the sign aloud as Panther examines the shot glasses curiously. 

_ “Welcome, guests, I’m sure you’re feeling jubilant. However, before you lies the Labyrinth of Lubricant.” _

“Labyrinth of...  _ Lubricant?”  _ The blonde tilts her head. Makoto ignores her and continues. 

_ “I’m sure you are wondering what to do with that key. Well, fret not, dear guests, for soon you will see.” _

“What kind of game is that piece of shit up to here?” Goro mumbles. 

_ “Before you are five glasses, but please do not wince. They mean you no harm, only to make you as happy as the prince…” _

Akira turns to Goro and shakes his head, wary. “I don’t like this.”

“Neither do I…”

_ “If you wish to progress, you must each ingest a drink. Then once you’re through the maze, you will be one step closer to your twink.”  _

The group looks at each other nervously. Whatever the hell this is, it can’t be good. 

Makoto straightens herself. “What does this mean?”

“It means,” Goro sighs as he approaches the small table of shot glasses, picking one up to examine the glowing pink liquid swirling about inside, “we are required to progress through this small maze in order to reach the door to the next floor. And we can’t enter the maze unless the five of us drinks  _ these.”  _

“W-Wait, then  _ those  _ would be—” 

“ _ ‘As happy as the prince,’  _ according to the little sign’s instructions.” 

Aphrodisiacs _ .  _ They have to take aphrodisiacs. Akira supposes this shouldn’t come as a surprise. This  _ is  _ a palace of lust, after all. More specifically, a brothel. He imagines that most places such as this in the real world would have complementary items like this. 

He just hopes to all hell that once he consumes it, that ever immodest _shadow_ _Goro _won’t appear around him. Despite everything they’ve been through throughout the confines of the palace so far, he doesn’t think he’d be able to handle the embarrassment that comes with popping an erection around a copy of one of his closest friends. 

After Goro tries the door, hoping for a bluff, Ann approaches the table and chooses a glass, followed by the rest of the group. “Ugh, we  _ really  _ have to drink this?” 

“Afraid so,” says Akira. 

“It’s the only way to progress the palace, unfortunately. I doubt the door behind the curtains will open until we drink this,” Makoto adds with a repugnant look. 

Goro sighs disappointedly for probably the millionth time this evening. “Well then, cheers, I suppose.” He lifts his glass into a mock gesture of a toast before bringing the edge of it to his lips and downing it whole. The others follow suit with the same action, swallowing the powerful liquor-like substance in one swift go. 

** _*CLICK*_ **

“Hah, that must be the door,” Goro says as he sets the glass back down onto the table along with the others. 

“Let’s go then. Everyone, stay on your guard.” Akira orders as he takes his position ahead of the group. Pushing the curtains just out of the way, he leans in close to the large, solid wood door and cautiously pushes it open. 

Poking his head around the frame, he immediately scans the area for any and all possible dangers. The first thing he notices is the beginning structure of the labyrinth. The surrounding area this time is an arrangement of snazzier, more lovely colors than before. Tall fuschia walls that stretch upwards to a fairly low-level ceiling are spread out in every visible direction with dark-wood doors placed along them. The floor is the same well-polished, black marble tile as he recalls seeing in the palace foyer. Ah, this must be one of the actual  _ brothel  _ parts of the palace. It almost looks like some sort of exuberant hotel. 

Another thing to note is how  _ low  _ the lighting is this time around. No more fancy chandeliers or candelabras in this section of the castle, only dimly lit lanterns placed here and there along the walls by the doors. Making for a fairly dark maze. A perfect opportunity for any sort of shadow to surprise them from around a corner. Best be careful. 

The raven motions the others to follow inside as he opens the door and sets foot into the darkness or the labyrinth corridors. 

“Whoa,” whispers Panther. “What’s all this now? It looks like some sort of fancy hotel.” 

“It’s a brothel, remember,” Goro says. “Although, I suppose ‘brothel’ is basically a simpler term for ‘escort resort’ or whatever they choose to call it.”

Makoto tilts her head. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I mean, brothels aren’t exactly a  _ legal  _ practice for a good number of precincts. Therefore, similar to how mafias will use restaurants and hotels as fronts, prostitution premisises will often pull the same thing. After all, it’s difficult to legally search and desist an establishment when it’s labeled as something like a ‘massage parlor’ or ‘strip club.’” 

Ann giggles a bit playfully. “Aha, I see you still have your touch, Mr. Detective.” 

Goro actually smiles at that. “Mind you, I  _ did _ actually study law.” 

“Ah,” Mona chimes in. “So I suppose in this case, this place’s ‘front’ would be a pleasant little prince castle. Clean on the outside, dirty on the inside. Could’ve fooled  _ me,”  _ the cat huffs mindlessly. 

Goro frowns. 

“AH—” Akira yelps as his feet suddenly give out from underneath him and he falls to the floor with a loud thud. 

“Joker! Are you okay?”

It takes him a moment to register the words through the sounds of ringing in his ears after his head had smacked against the dark marble floor. “Y-Yeah...I’m—” The feeling of something rather gooey steals his attention. Curious, he lifts his arm up off of the floor to find it covered and dripping with something slick and iridescent in color. 

_ Labyrinth of Lubricant, _ he thinks.  _ Oh, you’ve got to be kidding. _

He and the others quickly take notice of the floors and walls around them. He couldn’t tell from the doorway a moment ago due to the darkness. However, up close, he’s able to clearly see that those same fancy walls, polished floors, and ceiling as well as the doors, lanterns— _ everything,  _ are quite literally dripping with whatever this is.  _ All of it _ appears to be coated with the same, clear substance that he’d slipped on. 

“W-What  _ is  _ this stuff!? It’s everywhere!” Ann stammers as she looks on at the corridors upon corridors of goo. 

Goro steps over to Akira’s side, careful not to slip on the substance himself, and holds out a hand to help the other boy to his feet. He then approaches one of the oozing walls without a word and extends out single, clawed hand, scooping a bit of the substance up with a finger and bringing it to his lips to taste. His face scrunches in annoyance. 

“Strawberry flavor.  _ Unbelievable.”  _

“Ew!” Morgana shrieks. “Why would you lick it!?”

“Because it’s edible. Try it for yourself.” 

Joker mimics the action and collects a bit of the substance from his slathered coat sleeve to bring to his tongue. Oh, it  _ is  _ strawberry.  _ Not bad _ , he thinks as he shamelessly brings more of the slimy lubricant to his mouth. Goro makes a face at him. “Oh yeah, take your time. Do enjoy yourself.” 

Queen puts a hand to her mouth in uncertainty. “So then, this stuff really is—”

“It’s in the name, isn’t it?” says Goro. 

“So…what? We’re supposed to just find our way through this dark labyrinth while slipping on everything?” Ann asks, worried. 

“There’s definitely shadows lurking in this place. We should all keep our guard up and be careful,” Morgana adds. 

Akira proceeds to lead the five of them down the various twists and turns of the labyrinth awaiting them. The real challenge in this matter is trying to sneak around any potential enemies. It’s not exactly easy to remain stealthy when walking in what’s practically floods upon floods of lube continuously oozing through the corridors and down the walls. 

It’s already difficult in itself just to walk in this place without slipping, but fighting is downright  _ impossible.  _ What is usually a well-coordinated and carried out attack instantly turns into clumsy shambles of the group tripping over each other and knocking into walls. They’ve taken more damage from their own attempts at simply moving than they have given. Before long, they resort to simply doing their best to avoid shadows and sneak around, although that in itself is difficult with all of the slime throwing their footing off. On multiple occasions, someone would slip and fall on their ass, resulting in nearby shadows becoming alert and searching for the source of the sound. 

  
  


Overall, it’s just an outrageous sort of mess. 

And it only becomes worse when the strange drink that they had nearly forgotten all about begins to take its toll. 

Akira is leading the group down one of the corridors when suddenly his vision begins to blur. He stops in his tracks and attempts to grab onto one of the walls before his feet can trip over one another, his hands slipping down the slick surface until finally he settles for just leaning on it with both palms. 

“J-Joker?” he hears Mona call out in worry. 

“Shit…” he curses under his breath. 

The raven closes his eyes and he takes a deep breath as he attempts to stabilize himself, but to no avail. His breathing begins to pick up into hot, heavy pants as his mind enters some sort of drunken stupor. He feels dizzy...and weak. His knees begin to buckle slightly beneath him, threatening to take him to the floor at any given moment. For a solid minute, he isn’t quite sure what’s going on with him or what’s happening. That is, until he starts to feel his pants tighten. 

“It’s...it must be the drink. Guys, I—”

Joker’s eyes widen when he manages to turn his head away from the wall to check on the rest of his team, who appear to be in the exact same state he is. 

Ann and Makoto are struggling to stay standing as they lean on each other’s shoulders, Morgana is paralyzed and just looks absolutely horrified, and Goro is… 

_ Fuck.  _

Goro is hunched over with his hands rested on his knees, his black helmet removed and thrown to the slick floor however long ago. His back is perfectly arched as he stares upwards at the ceiling. Beads of sweat are dripping down his cheeks bones, causing his bangs to stick to his face as well as his suggestively tight suit and providing him with a sort of glistening glow. It’s the first time Akira’s ever seen him without his helmet as black mask. He didn’t even know he  _ could  _ take off the helmet, but  _ Christ  _ he should do it more often. His mouth is slightly agape as he pants heavily, his eyes half-lidded and staring off into space as more beads of sweat collect along his long, dark lashes and he thinks about god knows what while trying to carry himself through the powerful effects of the aphrodisiacs. He wishes he could know what’s on his mind. He looks beautiful. He looks so, so, so beautiful—

Suddenly Goro’s eyes catch to his and he tilts his head towards him, batting his eyes at him and doing his best to focus on his leader in his sozzled state. 

“Joker…” he groans. 

Akira immediately wants to punch himself in the face for allowing himself to be turned on by this. In fact, he does. He quickly tears his eyes away and smacks a gloved hand against his face,  _ hard.  _

_ Snap out of it, snap the hell out of it. He’s your  _ friend.  _ You’re here to  _ help  _ him. These kinds of thoughts are just…  _

Shit, Goro would probably never forgive him if he knew what was going through Akira’s head just now. Seriously, who just  _ fantasizes  _ about their friend like that? Even if he  _ is  _ someone he lov—cares about. Cares about...a lot...yeah, that’s it. Regardless, he’s got to snap out of it. 

“Guys,” Akira mutters in somewhat slurred speech as he musters every ounce of his strength and straightens himself up. “Snap out of it...we have to keep mov—”

When Akira turns to face the other three members of his team, he finds that they’ve disappeared, and in their place, a large, wide open trap door that had apparently been opened beneath them while he wasn’t looking. Akira’s eyes turn horrified as he stares at it. 

“S-Shit. Shit, shit, shit—” 

Where the hell did a trap door come from!? Did they accidentally touch some sort of trap activator? Surely they would have yelled or Akira would have heard the door shutters open.  _ Damn it. _ He must have failed to hear them or even notice due to his intoxicated state.  _ Fuck,  _ this is his fault. He needs to find them. But first, he needs to find a way to escape this awful labyrinth and get Goro to safety at the very least. 

“Hey, C-Crow—”

Wait. 

Where the hell is _ Goro,  _ now _ !? _

  
  
  
  
  
  


It’s dark. Very dark. The ground is no longer slick with ooze; however, it is significantly colder and more solid. The air around them is oddly damp and even through the latex of the red suit, she can feel the faint drops of water hitting her from above. 

“....Mmn...”

Panther is the first one to awaken, albeit a few minutes later. Her head is spinning, but she manages to find some sort of bearing as she lifts herself slowly off of the hard ground. Carefully, she brings herself to crack open her eyes to her surroundings. 

“Where…? Ugh” 

She pauses for a moment as she scans the area from her sitting position. The three of them appear to be in some sort of jail cell. It’s much nicer in appearance compared to what her knowledge of a typical cell is, though. For starters, the walls are made of brick and are dark red in color, similar to the lounge area she recalls being in before. The actual bars are painted black and appear to be smooth. Looking beyond, there appear to be other jail cells just across from them and all along some hallway, it looks like. The only source of light for the cells are small bulbs attached to the ceiling above, giving off a dim, glowing red light. 

Turning her head to the rest of the cell itself, she finds quite a shock. An enormous arrangement of sex toys and whips are hung up upon the walls, along with a small bed and an ‘ _ X’  _ shaped strap board leaned up against the corner. Her eyes instantly widen when she realizes what kind of place this is. 

Ann immediately gets to her knees and crawls over to her teammates still resting on the solid, red concrete floor. 

“G-Guys! Guys, wake up!! Please!!” 

After a few frantic shakes, Queen and Mona begin to come to. 

“Mm...Panther..?” Makoto groans. “What’s going on?”

“We were in that creepy labyrinth with Crow and Joker and then suddenly we just ended up here. I-I think we fell through some kind of trap door or something—”

The sound of obnoxiously peaceful snores to her left snatched her attention. She whips her head around to see Morgana, the ever-absurd feline, still snoozing away all curled up and cozy upon the bed next to them. 

Ann growls, immediately standing up to march over to the dinky metal bed and begins kicking one of the legs impatiently. “Mona, this is no time to be taking a cat nap!! Wake.  _ UP!!” _

“Whoa—!!”

Morgana lets out a yelp as he’s shaken out of the bed and falls to the floor with a thud. 

“Ow..” he says as he holds a paw to his head. “What’s up?”

“You were sleeping on the job, that’s what’s up! Come on, Joker and Crow are somewhere in this castle all by themselves. We gotta figure out a way to get out of here so we can catch up with them—”

Her words halt at the sound of footsteps quickly approaching down the hall. It sounds like it’s coming straight for their cell! 

Suddenly, two enormous, shadowy figures arrive, standing just outside of their cell. 

“Shadows..!” Ann gasps. 

The two figures appear to be shaped as a couple of young men, both of them wearing some sort of raunchy style of outfits featuring red corsets, fishnet stockings, high heels, and matching black military caps with heart-shaped  _ ‘A’ _ insignias stamped on the front of them. Ann glances down to notice that the two shadows are both carrying whips and handcuffs. 

“Ooh, you three must be the poor, lost guests Lord Akechi informed us of earlier,” says one of the shadows. 

“Don’t worry… we’ll make sure to take  _ good care  _ of _ you _ ~” the other says, followed by a fit of suggestive laughter. 

Ann swallows nervously. She still feels quite woozy from the drink, but takes formation anyway. Readying her whip as she faces the shadows with her still barely-conscious friends behind her. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Meanwhile, on the third floor of the palace, Akira finally manages to make his way to what appears to be the end of this sticky labyrinth. Or at least that’s what he hopes and logically assumes. Before him lies a large, wooden, decorative door. It’s similar to the one he recalls seeing on the first floor of the palace and even more strangely, it isn’t slathered in lube like everything else in here. 

He sure hopes it’s the right door. After having to traverse through this labyrinth alone, he’s become coated head-to-toe in the slimy, sweet substance. He feels disgusting. 

“Please, please, don’t be a trick,” the raven whispers to no one in particular as he pulls the key out of his coat pocket and jams it into the hole. Turning it ever so slightly, he hears a *click.* The dark haired boy takes a deep breath and places a gloved hand to the door, pushing it open as carefully as he can. He peeks around the corner per usual routine, just to ensure no colorful surprises await him on the other side. 

Past the exit door awaits a very small corridor with a set of stairs just a couple of meters in front of him that appears to lead up into an even larger hallway. There’s not very much he can see beyond the corridor, but it seems fairly safe to enter, at least. When he deems the cost clear, he officially steps inside. However, his excitement causes him to forget the fact that he is still very much covered in lube. 

“Whoa—!!” The moment his boots step onto the small surface of tile, his feet give out immediately and he slips comically to the floor. 

“I will  _ never  _ go anywhere near another ounce of lube or strawberry flavor ever again,” he curses under his breath. 

“Well, I certainly hope that isn’t the case. After all, you’re going to need quite a bit of it soon enough.” 

A familiar, eerie voice catches his attention from above the stairs. Akira whips his head around to find possibly the last thing he needs to see at the moment. 

Shadow Goro shoots him a half-lidded smile from atop the stairs before casually sitting up onto one of the railings against the wall and sliding his way down to him. 

“Ohh my, you poor thing. Come, let me help you up,” says the prince as he bends down to grab hold of Akira’s arm and pulls him into a standing position, careful not to let him slip. The shadow smirks and giggles a bit while reaching for his hand. “Come, let us get you properly cleaned up and I will show you to the next key. You’ve made it this far. It’s the least I can do for you~”

He leads him up the stairs with Akira trailing behind him, hands still locked together. 

From this angle, Akira glances up and is able to see the backside of the shadow clearly as he walks up the stairs. The thin, silk panties worn imposingly exposed beneath his garter belts fit his curves quite well. The raven’s eyes can’t help but ogle at the way his ass moves hypnotically with each step the shadow takes, the sway of his vivacious hips, each slight lift of his leg causing the curvature of his ass to press and shift against the rose-pink belts. Akira blushes and quickly looks away. 

The shadow side-glances behind him with a knowing smile. “Nice view, isn’t it?”

“I don’t know what you mean…” Akira keeps his eyes glued to the wall. 

When they reach the very top, past the stairs, Akira finds a new set of hallways. More dark-wood suite doors are lined carefully along red patterned walls, dark trimming, and red carpeted floors. Candles and lanterns line the walls and ceiling as before, albeit a bit brighter than the past halls of the palace. Drapes and tapestries decorate the walls and hang from the ceiling as well. All of it serving to create some sort of abnormally romantic atmosphere. Akira is just grateful he won’t have to worry about slipping on any more hard surfaces thanks to the shag rugs lining the halls. 

The shadow turns to him, its hands carefully pulling at his coat sleeves in a shy sort of gesture as he looks at him with puppy eyes. “May I?” 

Akira swallows. “Uh, sure.”

The copy immediately leans into him, locking their arms together with his head tilted against his shoulder as he proceeds to walk him down the hall. 

“Come, let me show you around.”

The prince hums thoughtfully to himself while they walk alongside one another. It’s admittedly embarrassing. After all, he looks  _ exactly  _ like Goro. When Joker glances down at the shadow hugging his arm tightly against its chest, all he can see is the former detective. He feels his heartbeat begin to pick up just looking at it. 

“S-So, what is  _ this  _ floor?” 

“Mm, I’m glad you asked,” hums the shadow as it lifts its head slightly to look up at him. “This is what we’ve named the  _ ‘Hall of Fantasies.’  _ The more pleasurable side of the castle, if you will.”

The prince extends a hand outward to momentarily gesture to the long, ongoing stretch of hallways and corridors before them. “There are  _ hundreds _ of rooms on this floor. Each one holding some sort of lewd fantasy that Akechi Goro himself has conjured up in his mind or gotten off to at least once at some point.”

Hundreds!? So Goro really  _ does  _ have some sort of addiction… 

But why? When did all of this even start? 

“Example.” The shadow pulls the two of them over to a randomly selected door, twists the metallic knob, and swings it wide open to reveal an image of illusion centered in the middle of a black, void-like room. 

It’s a mirage of Goro, on his knees, panting and drooling while looking up at a silhouette Akira can’t quite make out. There’s a studded collar around his neck as well as a connected leash held in the silhouette’s hand. A bright-colored wire drapes around and over his naked thigh and trails upwards into the form of a remote control in the other hand of the mysterious person who appears to be moving the dial on it constantly. 

As if this palace wasn’t making Akira blush enough already, his face is absolutely  _ burning  _ right now. The shadow slams the door closed and giggles. 

“The best part is that the key you’re looking for is, in fact, in one of these rooms. Overwhelming, isn’t it?” The shadow snickers at Akira’s shocked face. “But don’t worry! That’s why I’m here— I’ll take you riiight where you need to go~” 

He pulls himself closer once more and begins escorting him down the hall again. 

Part of Akira wants to trust the odd shadow and yet another part is screaming at him not to. It is a  _ shadow,  _ after all. These cognitive beings practically make it their jobs to be as deceptive and tricky as possible for any who enter their palace. Although, this one does seem rather…different. Where most palace rulers would have immediately sent enemies after the thieves upon first sight, Goro’s did not. Instead, he opted to  _ help  _ them. Is it because Goro himself is already aware that they don’t mean any harm? But even so, it’s definitely odd. 

Akira is suddenly distracted from his thoughts at the feeling of the shadow’s hand languidly stroking along his arm. 

“Ohoho, sorry...I can’t always help myself,” the shadow giggles innocently. He pauses for a long moment, gazing leisurely at the sleeve of his coat. A small smile is etched across his lips, however his eyes are almost…  _ sad.  _

“You know, you may not be  _ my  _ knight, but you still look an awful lot like him. You act like him, too. Being around you is almost...” the shadow hugs his arm against his chest even tighter, “comforting.” 

His  _ ‘knight?’  _ Akira recalls the shadow mentioning something about it before, back then in the palace foyer where they first met the ruler. He supposes that the idea of knights and what not being involved with an actual prince version of Goro, in the setting of a castle palace,  _ would _ make sense. However, the prince seems fascinated by just one in particular. There doesn’t seem to be very many close people in Goro’s current life save for the thieves, so who is this  _ knight  _ and what do they represent..? 

“And it’s nice to know that despite you seeing everything here in my castle of dreams, you’re still willing to stick around. I’m almost jealous of my real self,” the shadow giggles. 

Is he…is he referring to  _ Akira?  _ Now that he thinks about it, perhaps the context would make sense given he’s here to  _ help _ his friend. There’s no shame in asking, he supposes.

“Uh...Prince?”

“Mhmm?” the shadow hums. 

“This...’knight’ guy you keep mentioning, he wouldn’t happen to be... _ me,  _ would he?”

“Mm, smart as always, aren’t you? Well, it is a different  _ version _ of you. But not quite  _ you _ , you. You know?”

“So it’s Goro’s cognition of me...” he thinks aloud. Akira huffs a laugh. “I’m surprised. For a shadow, you’re oddly very aware of your existence as one.” 

“It is because I am of the rare case in which my real self already knows of cognition and the fact that he possesses a palace. Because of that, I have no qualms with understanding my nature. It is why I don’t exactly wish to fight you either.”

Ah. So he’s similar to how Futaba's shadow was, then. That certainly makes things interesting. Of course  _ Goro’s  _ shadow would be something as unique. 

“But wait, if he’s the cognitive version of me, then why aren’t I around? And why is he avoiding entering your castle?”

The cognitive prince doesn’t look at him, but smiles knowingly. “I believe that is a question you should save for the real deal.”

Akira stares at the floor in thought. Why would Goro not allow his own cognition of him inside of the castle—especially if he himself is already  _ in  _ the palace? Unless…there’s something more specific Goro’s hiding from him and doesn’t want him to see.

“By the way, is that aphrodisiac still taking a toll on you? Oh dear. Maybe we should take care of that~”

Joker swallows nervously. Surely the shadow isn't suggesting what he thinks he is… He seriously can barely even handle  _ looking  _ at this version of Goro, let alone whatever it’s implying. Not to mention the fact that it’s, well, Goro’s  _ shadow.  _

“Ahaha, do not be nervous. I meant it when I said I don’t intend any ill will upon you or your party,” the shadow laughs while looking each suite door up and down as they walk along the halls. He appears to be looking for a specific one… 

“You know, each one of these rooms  _ are  _ designed for their own definite pleasure purposes—Oh, here it is!!” The shadow bursts out in glee as they come to a stop before a particular room labeled ‘ _ #444.’ _

“What is…” Akira feels unsure about this. 

“I promised I would lead you to the next key, did I not? Oh and a little tip; the goal is to make them all cum at once.” 

“Wait what—”

Before Akira can even get a chance to properly question what’s going on, the door swings open and he feels the force of the shadow prince’s boot against his backside, kicking him inside the dark space with the door quickly slamming behind him. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Goro finds himself currently leaned up against the wall of the quiet safe room, one hand gripped tightly around his cock while the other braces himself against the wall. 

Elated breaths and sighs of pleasures fill the empty space along with far-too-familiar cries of a certain boy’s name once again. All the while his hand strokes along his shaft eagerly, more than desperate to take care of this shameful erection as quickly as possible. 

“Akira…hah...” 

The memory of the sight still plays through his mind like a broken record. The way Joker had looked at him back then. His wild yet weary eyes, the way his chest rose and fell, his lips just slightly parted as he panted hotly for air. The fact that he looked at him—saw the former detective in such a state of arousal, the thought that he was feeling just as aroused then due to the effects of the previously consumed aphrodisiacs, it made Goro’s chest tighten with warmth and his cock twitch between his fingers. 

He throws his head back and doesn’t even care that it bangs against the wall hard enough to give him another headache. All he can think about is  _ Akira.  _ Wonderful, beautiful, sweet Akira. 

“Hah—A-Ah!! Akira!!” 

He calls for his name one last time as he finally releases into his hand and onto the shag carpet floor below. He takes a moment to gather his bearings, allowing the pool of warmth to subside within his abdomen as usual whenever he did this. 

He always did this. Every time. Even though he’s here and ready to supposedly take this place down, he still finds himself unable to control his urges. Even more unable to think of anyone else but the boy he’s begrudgingly grown to love. 

Damn him. Damn Kurusu Akira for doing this to him. Damn him for being so kind, so thoughtful, so funny, sweet, and full of life. 

But most of all, damn Goro himself for being such a coward. 

The brunette finally opens his eyes and looks down. Once again, the all-too-familiar sight of white coats his digits as well as a warmth that he will likely never live to share with anyone else. 

To be fair, he  _ was  _ literally put on a goddamn aphrodisiac. It’s only natural he’d develop a painful erection from staring at the love of his life in his gorgeous, dazed state. The love of his life… does he even have the right to say that? 

“Ugh.” The former detective sighs and pushes himself off the wall. Walking over to the large wooden table placed in the center of the room, he grabs a few of the complimentary tissues and cleans up his soiled hands. 

He doesn’t even remember exactly how he got here. All he remembers is that he and Akira were alone together in the labyrinth because the girls and Morgana had fallen through some sort of trap. Then suddenly the room door he was leaning up against had somehow opened and he fell through to some different floor of the palace. After stumbling his way through a couple of castle halls, he eventually found this safe room and immediately clambered inside. 

“God. Look at me,” he shakes his head and laughs. “Joker is all alone out there and meanwhile I’m standing around cozy in here, getting myself off to the thought of him again. What the fuck is  _ wrong  _ with me.” 

“Ah, still as prioritizing as always, hm?”

Goro swiftly turns around to find his shadow sitting cross-legged upon the table, smirking at him in both a knowing and mocking manner. 

“What the hell do  _ you  _ want?”

“Well, besides reminding you how much of an equally helpless whore you are, I’ve come to convey a bit of a helpful tip to my dear real self.” The shadow grins and cocks his head at him, twirling a strand of hair nonchalantly between his fingers. “It’s about the boy you’re looking for. You know, the one whose name you were stroking yourself off to just now? He’s on the floor above you, waiting and nearly on the verge of…” He trails off. 

Goro seethes. “What the fuck did you  _ do  _ to him!?”

“Well, he’s having a much better time than you could ever give him, I will tell you that much. By the way, you’ve got a bit of cum on your shoes.” The prince points innocently to his boots. 

“Ah!” The brunette starts and whips his head down to his shoes to find that the bastard is right, before quickly lifting his head back up to find that the shadow has now disappeared. 

Goro groans and sifts through his sleeves to pull out an extra Takemedic he had stashed away for emergencies. He unscrews the cap and downs the sketchy liquid before tossing the bottle, wiping his mouth, slipping his claws back on, and rushing out of the door. 

  
  
  
  
  
  


Akira groans as he attempts to sit up, the stinging from the force of that kick still being felt in his lower back.  _ Damn,  _ the shadow seriously knocked him down in here. 

What’s the meaning of this place anyway? Supposedly, each of these rooms holds illusions of some grandiose fantasy from the former detective’s mind. Which means this room could be anything. And yet, the next trial as well as the key is in  _ here.  _

_ “Akiraaa…” _

The distant sound of his name being called startles him. He immediately gathers his bearings and gets to his feet, on guard. 

_ “Or would it be better to call him ‘Joker?’” _

_ “Who cares? As long as we get a piece of him in the end.” _

Joker steadies himself and reaches for the dagger at his side, only to find that it, as well as all of his weapons, are gone. What the hell!? Where did they go? Surely he still has his persona at least? 

_ “No use, all of your weapons have been confiscated before entry~”  _ the voice coos as it draws nearer. 

_ Confiscated?  _ When the hell did the shadow have any time to do  _ that _ ?

Any questions and concerns in his mind, however, are soon wiped out and replaced as the source of the voice emerges from the dark shadows of the room… or rather, sourc _ es _ . 

Before his startled eyes stand exactly three illusions of Akechi Goro, each one completely stark naked and smiling at him innocently with hands behind their backs. In an instant, Akira feels his entire composure begin to crack, and for the first time in a while since becoming leader, he actually doesn’t know how to respond to the situation. 

_ They’re not real _ , he thinks to himself.  _ They’re not real, they’re not real, they’re not— _

Before he can even finish his subduing thoughts, the illusions are all over him, hands gripping and pulling at his clothes as the three of them barrage his face with endless sloppy kisses and bring him down to the floor. Alarmed, he recovers his mind and looks down to find them draped over his lap as they impatiently yank off his black pants. The amount of mortified embarrassment that spreads over his face as he watches his already-eager erection bob out in front of the three brunettes is nearly palpable. 

“ _ Ohh,  _ he’s even bigger than I thought~” one of the Goros moans. 

“I can’t contain myself anymore, I need to  _ taste _ him.”

One by one, their hands come up to grip at his hips, his thighs and the hem of his shirt as their tongues simultaneously go to work on his cock. 

The warm, wet feeling quickly begins to encompass the raven into a daze. The flats of the three imposters’ hot tongues press eagerly against the underside of his cock, the base, the tip— _ everywhere _ ; licking and dragging the muscles up and down and all along his shaft. It’s entirely overwhelming and Akira isn’t sure what to do with himself other than lay there and watch. The void-like space of a room around them echoes discernibly with the sounds of the triplets’ shameless moaning, the vibrations of said sounds serving to make Akira’s cock even harder against their hungry and desperate mouths. 

At one point, they somewhat begin to work together. Bringing all three of their lips up to the tip and peppering it with soft, hot kisses. Their tongues ranging from poking out to give it cute cat-like licks, to dragging themselves across and down to the underside of the sensitive head, practically assaulting the crown of his cock with their mouths. 

Watching no less than three illusions that strikingly resemble Goro fawn over his cock sends shivers down every part of his body. Christ, Akira feels as if he could cry. It’s insane, and definitely a scenario that could only be conjured up within a mindful fantasy. 

_ “The goal is to make them all cum at once.” _

The last-minute words of the palace ruler begin to play in his head.  _ Make them cum?  _

It is at that moment that realization hits him and he registers just how and why this is a trial. The raven looks down at the three continuing to lick hotly along his dick, noticing the beads of pre-cum already threatening to spill from him. If he cums so soon, he won’t be able to do anything and this trial will come to an abrupt end. He still doesn’t even know where the rest of his team are. The four of them are still lost and alone in this god forsaken palace. He can’t afford to lose himself here. 

It’s utterly embarrassing and he even feels guilty for doing such a thing to something that resembles his friend so spot-on, but it appears he has no choice. 

This  _ is  _ for Goro. 

Snapping out of his blissful trance, Joker attempts to sit up as he roughly pushes the three imposters away from his lap and to the floor instead. He musters what little strength he has and approaches the three very nude figures currently curled up upon the ground, now silent and looking up at him with pleading eyes and flushed, rosy cheeks. The sight sends a hot blush across Akira’s  _ own _ features. 

_ Sorry, Goro,  _ he sighs as he internally apologizes to himself. 

_ “You’re going to need quite a bit of it soon, after all.” _

That damn shadow. He seriously  _ planned _ this. 

Joker removes his glove and swipes two fingers among his still lube-lathered coat. Then, kneeling down before one of the quivering fantasy Goros, he places one hand over its hip as the other comes up to press against its sensitive hole. Taking the initiative, he pushes the two digits inside carefully and proceeds to pump in and out of the Goro. 

“Ohh…” the illusion groans softly as Akira continues his work at a mindful pace. Despite this thing being a clear fake, it still resembles the former detective far too much for him to be careless enough to hurt it. When he deems the Goro properly stretched enough, he removes his fingers and moves onto the next one—repeating his previous action of lubing up his digits and prepping its twitching hole as with the third one. 

“Alright, now…” he huffs nervously. Finally, he can begin.

Backing away slightly, he sits himself upon the floor once more. The other illusions watch with adorably curious eyes as he leans forward to grab the hand of just one Goro and pulls him forward, coaxing the desperate clone to take its place upon his lap. 

Akira places both hands against the others hips and slowly, cautiously, lowers the Goro look-alike onto his waiting cock, sinking him all the way down to the hilt of his erection and thus taking all of him. He doesn’t even need to tell it what to do next. The copy elicits a loud, audible moan and begins to bounce itself on his lap. Akira bites his lip as he seriously tries not to let himself give into his orgasm just yet. 

“You,” he calls to the second one while removing his mask, “come here.” 

Unhesitant, the other adheres to his command and crawls over to the raven. Akira gently grabs his hips to pull him towards his head. He urges the illusion to lift a single leg over him, reverse straddling his soft thighs on either side of his head before finally lowering himself and effectively smothering the the dark haired boy. Joker himself wastes no time. He reaches up once more to sink his fingers into the soft, pliant flesh of his hips, pulling him closer as his tongue begins to lick hot stripes across his twitching hole. The illusion squirms atop him, groaning and rutting his beautiful ass against his face as Akira proceeds to tongue fuck him—all with the first Goro still bouncing eagerly on his cock. 

He can feel it already. He’s becoming dangerously close to his climax as are the two other fakes fucking themsleves relentlessly upon his body. He needs to hurry this up. He isn’t sure how much more of this intensity he can handle… 

His tongue is busy at work so he settles for slapping his palm against the ground to catch the third Goro’s attention, beckoning him over with a single finger. 

Obviously it’s difficult to tell where anything is while he’s being literally sat on, so he holds out his hand in a harmless gesture for the third brunette to take it. Once he feels his slender fingers lace themselves within his own, he proceeds to guide him into a straddling position upon his waist, facing the other one who is still currently fucking himself on his cock. 

Then, he moves the final Goro’s hand down towards it and the other’s cock, signaling the fake to press the two of them together and begin their impatient strokes in a frotting rhythm. Feeling along the third one’s lithe, nude body, his middle and index finger travels along the curve of his ass and down to find his lubricated hole. Gently, he presses the two digits inside once again as before and fabricates his own relentless rhythm within him. He fucks the illusion deeply as he curls his fingers against his tight walls. Judging by the way the third one cries out in response, he assumes he’s found his sweet spot and begins to feverishly thrust his fingers into it. 

All three of the illusions now find themselves atop him in some way or another, fucking themsleves without any form of restraint. The delicious moans and whines that fill the echoing room bring Akira that much closer to his impending orgasm. The raven’s hips are starting to grow cramped and exhausted the more they thrust upwards into the one on his cock, as are his fingers and tongue as they work fastidiously against the other two. 

He still feels guilty. It feels more than perverted to be mindfully fucking something that looks so much like Goro himself. If Goro ever saw this or found out about his actions… 

No. He’s doing this  _ for  _ him, as well as the others. It’s the only way to progress this place. If he gives up here all due to a factor of conscious embarrassment, then what kind of friend would that make him? It’s nothing short of vulgar, but he has to keep going. 

Although, Akira would just be lying to himself if he said that this wasn’t the most intense form of pleasure he’s ever felt in his life. 

_ I wonder if Goro feels or tastes anything like this…  _

_ No—  _ no, no, stay focused, damn it. 

As soon as his mind wandered to the real Goro, his luck runs out. A heat begins to pool in his stomach as delectation quickly spreads throughout his sensitive body. His orgasm hits him like a powerful force and without warning and he releases everything he has inside of the one bouncing atop his cock. 

Fortunately though, he apparently managed to hold it together just long enough, as all three of the Goro illusions cry out his name simultaneously and cover each other and him in streaks of hot white. Before long, the fakes’ poor bodies give out and they collapse atop him, completely and fully fucked out. Joker allows himself to rest for a moment before reaching up to push the three off of him and sit up slightly, panting with exhaustion. 

** _*clink-clink..*_ **

The sound of something small and metallic hitting the floor from above catches his attention. Dizzy, he turns his head to find a new key has dropped and is waiting for him on the floor near the doorway. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Ugh, now what the hell is  _ this?”  _

Goro emerges finally from one of the hidden exit corridors connecting to the floor he had fallen from earlier and stares down the elongated hallways of rooms, stretching as far as the eye can see. He is exceptionally skeptical when he notices the decorative, copper, hotel-esque plaque mounted to the wall upon entry. 

_ “Hall of Fantasies, where pleasure becomes palpable..”  _ Goro shakes his head with a disturbed grimace as he stares at the sign. “I have a bad feeling about this…”

This palace had already annoyed him the moment he’d set foot inside, but now with the increasing orchestra of twists, turns, and all-around confusing galleries and passageways, he feels as if he could go mad and rip a fistful of his hair out at any given second. He’s starting to seriously lose his temper. Looking at these hundreds of doors doesn’t exactly help his case either. 

“That bastard said that Joker is up  _ here _ somewhere. Which means he’s probably trapped in one of these rooms. Perhaps the others are here as well,” the brunette mutters to himself as he eyes the long hallway of suites. His face scrunches into a feeling of unease. 

“‘ _ Where pleasure becomes palpable.’  _ What the hell does that even mean…?”

Goro shakes his head and strolls along one of the segments of the hallways, eyeing up each door with caution. He frowns. 

“Am I  _ really  _ going to have to check every single one of these rooms just to find him?” But there’s so many…who knows how long that could take. And if Joker truly is in danger, then that’s all the more reason to worry. He supposes he doesn’t see any other option though. 

Goro approaches one of the random doors and heedfully turns the knob to swing it open. Only to be greeted by the sight of what appears to be an array of slimy, silhouetted tentacles wrapping around and fucking…  _ him?? _

_ “Ohhh… more, more, give me more—Mmph,”  _ the other Goro’s words get cut off when a tentacle shoves itself into his mouth.

** _*SLAM.*_ **

“....”

Goro stands there staring at the door after instantly slamming it closed, eyes wide and mortified for a multitude of reasons. 

“...What the hell...was  _ that _ ...?”

He thinks to himself for a moment. He’s trying to contemplate exactly what the fuck he’d just seen. And then it hits him.

“Hall of  _ Fantasies. _ These rooms… they’re all from my head, aren’t they…?” The brunette sighs and shakes his head, dragging a hand across his face with a depressed groan. Then another truth begrudgingly crosses his mind. 

“ _ Joker _ is in one of  _ these  _ rooms.” 

He can’t decide what’s worse, the fact that someone so important to him could possibly be in danger while trapped in one of these random fantasy suites, or the fact that he’s seeing God-knows-what kind of embarrassingly lewd imagining Goro has apparently conjured up during his most lonely years. 

Regardless though, he needs to hurry and find him. 

Goro goes for another room. This time, impatiently swinging open the door to call Joker’s name. His eyes instantly light up when he sees a figure clad in a dark coat, that same black hair, and mask. 

“Joker—” He stops, however, when he notices the illusion of himself right next to him. Tied up and gagged, suspended in the air, his black mask suit torn apart with his naked thighs spread apart and groaning as the fake Akira repeatedly fingers him. The sight of red leather disappearing between pale flesh causes Goro’s face to flush. 

_ “Mm, you’re enjoying this, aren’t you? You like it when I touch you there, over and over...” _

_ “Mmph—mm!!” _

** _*SLAM.*_ **

Goro leans against the solid wood door with both hands, staring down at the ground, eyes tightly shut in a grimace and gritting his teeth in frustration. 

“Wrong room…” 

  
  
  
  


Goro repeats the process continuously, over and over. Opening up a door, glancing at the horrid piece of imagery that he had apparently stroked himself to at some point in time, and immediately slamming it closed with a wave of humiliation and grief washing over him. 

“Come  _ on.  _ Joker has to be here  _ somewhere.”  _

He feels awful. He  _ created  _ this problem. He  _ allowed  _ this palace to grow and manifest into what it is, all without doing anything to stop his addiction when he probably had the chance or simply before it could become even worse. And now he’s dragged the only people in a long time that he’s grown to care deeply for into it. This  _ hellhole  _ of impudent desire that he did  _ nothing  _ to prevent. This is all his fault. 

The sound of a door down the hall swinging open followed by something thudding hard against the floor catches his attention. 

_ “Agh…” _

“Joker!!” 

Goro is immediately dashing down the hall and is by his side in an instant. He hooks an arm under his chest and shoulder, lifting him up off the ground carefully and inspecting him for any injuries. 

“Joker, are you alright?”

Akira groans as he attempts to stand despite his dizzy spells. “Y-Yeah… Yeah, I’m fine. You?”

“Yeah,” Goro sighs. “I’m just so glad I found you. I was worried I’d have to go through every single one of these doors—wait, why are you all sweaty, and...you smell odd?”

The raven shakes his head between his deep breaths. “Honestly, I think it’s better that you don’t know…But I did get  _ this _ .” He holds up the small, decorative key before tucking it away safely in his coat pocket. 

“The key…a-ah, so you did a trial.” Goro looks over to the now closed room where Akira had stumbled out a moment ago and winces. “...in that room.” 

Goro hopes to all hell that whatever Akira experienced in there wasn’t anything  _ too _ bad at the least… 

“Heeey! You guuuys!!” 

The two boys turn to the source of the familiar voices calling for them as the sound of footsteps rapidly approach. It’s the others!

Ann comes to a stop before them and smiles widely. “Man, are we soo glad we found you! We were worried sick after we got separated so suddenly like that.”

“Are you two alright?” Makoto asks. 

“Yes, yes, we’re okay. A little annoyed at this place, but still alive. Joker even has the next key already and—wait, what is that in your hands? Is that... _ bubble tea?” _

Suddenly the three of them become bashful. “U-Uhm..”

“Where the hell did you three get tea and crepes!?”

Ann laughs nervously and twists a strand of hair around her finger. “I-It was the shadows down in the dungeon where we fell to. They were actually really nice to us by order of the prince apparently. They took us straight up here after they insisted on doing our hair and treating us to lunch.”

Goro and Akira simply stare at them, relieved yet more than bewildered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Goro isn’t the only one having a HARD time in this palace 
> 
> Aha see y’all next Friday thanks for reading!


	3. The King’s Game

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The thieves arrive at the final trial at last. However, they quickly discover why it’s the final, and most difficult out of the others for a good reason.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly this part was one of my favorite parts of this fic to write. I had a BLAST writing this chapter. I’m honestly quite shocked to find that there is little to zero content of the Phantom Thieves playing the King’s Game. And as always, Goro will suffer greatly in this as well 
> 
> Hope y’all enjoy !

“The fifth floor...” Akira says as he holds up the key before the large door at the top of the stairs. 

“Ugh, finally,” Goro groans. “This should be the last trial. Then we can steal the treasure and finally be  _ done  _ with this place.” 

Joker inserts the small item into the keyhole and twists it until a familiar * _ click*  _ sound rings out. He pushes open the set of double doors and the moment he does, they’re instantly greeted with a roaring boom of music coming from the inside of the room beyond. 

Cautious, he waves for the others to follow him in. 

The area before them is  _ much  _ different than what they’ve previously encountered in terms of the palace’s many unique floors. 

Vibrant, glowing lights of pink, purple, and blue colors fills the dim room in splendor, some of them ranging from bubble lanterns hung from the ceiling or vine-like strings of lights wrapped around and dangling from the tops of stone pillars carved in the shape of neonesque trees. High Tables and bar stools are placed here and there around the area as well as some liquor bars lined along the walls. He spots a few fancy sofas located in the middle section and corners of the room. In front of the sofas are low platforms with metal poles built into the center of them that connect to the ceiling above. Some of which are already occupied by cognitions swinging and swaying around them in displays of intimacy while others merely lounge and watch. 

Panther’s face scrunches slightly. “Whoa…what is this place?” 

“It looks like some sort of  _ club...”  _ answers Queen. 

Morgana frowns. “Why are some of the cognitions naked...?”

Across the way, Joker spots a roped-off area in the center of the club, a staircase leading down with a sign reading  _ ‘Final Trial’  _ next to it. Huh. How convenient. 

“This way.” 

The raven leads the others over to the VIP section closed off by a velvet rope. Crow attempts to walk inside but is stopped by a shadow dressed in an attendant suit. 

“How many in your party?”

Akira and Goro glance at each other skeptically before answering. “Uh…five?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but you need at least nine people in your party in order to participate in the VIP activities.”

“N-Nine!?” the brunette sputters. “But we’re only here for the last trial!”

“Apologies, but those are the rules. Prince Akechi’s orders.”

Before Goro can possibly explode in the middle of this club, Akira approaches him and lays a hand on his shoulder. “We gotta bring the others in.” 

“But—”

“It’s the only way we can play whatever this is, Crow. Come on, we’re almost done. We bring them in for this  _ one trial _ and then we can finish this place.” 

Goro pauses for a long moment before grinding out his words through gritted his teeth. “F-Fine.”

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


After exiting the palace and taking somewhat of a rest to themselves for the remainder of the night, they return to the licentious castle the following day. This time, with the entire party of thieves accompanying them to the club portion. 

Goro was quite serious when he said he wanted no one else to know about this place, at least not in full detail. The whole way up the castle, he strictly forbid the other four thieves from touching, activating, or so much as looking at a single thing without permission. Obviously it serves to leave them very confused. It feels more than awkward handling the situation like this and leaves Joker to scratch the back of his head the whole time in perplexity—but it’s Goro’s palace and ordeal, so he allows it this once. 

Eventually, after climbing their way back up the castle and through some secret hallways that allow them to avoid the labyrinth altogether (courtesy of the shadows that treated Ann and the others yesterday), they finally make it to the club portion of the palace again. 

Haru notices the sign prior to entry and lights up. “ _ Hothouse _ ? Oh, so this is one of those castles with an indoor garden!”

Ann laughs nervously. “Eh, not quite, Noir.”

Joker opens the door and leads the in-awe party to the VIP area, where the shadow attendant then unhooks the velvet rope and grants them entry at last. 

They are escorted down a chrome staircase to an entire section of the club secluded underneath everything. There are several other VIP rooms connected through small passageways from the main entrance into the underground space. But before them awaits two large, square booths centered in the middle of the main room, directly across from each other. Glowing, neon pink seats with black cushions are lined up along the top of a raised platform, as well as a small table in the middle with a complimentary champagne bucket. Akira isn’t very keen on tasting  _ anything  _ this place has to serve though. 

The shadow attendant guides them over to one of the booths and gestures for them to take their seats. Once everyone is properly situated within the space, it bows and takes its leave. 

Haru frowns. “I must be honest, this isn’t what I expected when the sign said  _ hothouse… _ ” 

“I’m just glad we’re finally able to look at somethin’ other than the ground!” Ryuji barks. “Geez, you might as well have just  _ blindfolded  _ us.”

“I think I’d prefer to  _ gag _ you instead,” Goro bites back. 

“So,” Yusuke looks around, a hint of amazement in his eyes, “ _ This  _ is your palace? I must say, even though it is a palace, I’m enjoying the vibrancy of the place’s atmosphere. The decor and colors are quite pleasing to the eye.” 

“Yeah, if it wasn’t blindin’ your eyes out with  _ pink  _ every time ya look at it…This place is weird. Why’d it go from some weird, hotel-looking thingy to a strip club?”

Futaba snickers. “Yeah, what dirty, dark secrets are you hiding now, Crow? Also— Ooh, free driiinks!!” The girl reaches for the champagne bottle submerged in the ice bucket, but is quickly stopped by Goro.

“ _ Don’t  _ drink that! That...that probably isn’t even normal champagne anyway.” 

Akira frowns. “You don’t think it’s…”

“The same garbage liquid from the labyrinth trial? Yes, it likely is. Or at the very least,  _ spiked _ with it.”

“Aww, and here I thought that after all this time, you might be a little _ thirsty _ .” 

The thieves all turn their heads towards the opposing booth to find shadow Goro idly sitting in the middle, legs spread with his hands tucked in his lap childishly. Akira just barely catches the former detective’s mumbled groan of ‘ _ oh no’  _ the moment the prince appeared. 

“ _ Hiii _ , everyone.” The shadow smiles and waves sweetly. 

Ryuji startles. “The hell is  _ that!? _ ”

“It’s Crow’s shadow,” says Akira. 

“Welcome to the final game to our little escapade,” purrs the shadow. “I must applaud you for making it this far into my little castle of passion~”

“Castle of  _ what, _ ” Yusuke exclaims. 

Futaba squints. “Is he wearing lipgloss..?”

“Let us get started now, shall we?” The shadow sits back and snaps its fingers into the air. The moment he does, seven inky splotches appear upon each seat in his booth, quickly melting away to reveal what appears to be cognitive versions of themselves. 

“W-What the—!?” Panther stammers. 

“We’re going to play a little game that I prefer to call, ‘ _ King’s Game!’” _ the shadow announces with glee. 

_ Kings Game.  _ Oh, this doesn’t sound too bad. After all, it’ll be his own friends dishing out the dares. Although, knowing this shadow, there’s definitely a trick of some sort. 

“I imagine you all are already well aware of the basic rules of King’s Game, correct? Nine chopsticks, each person draws one, whoever has the chopstick with the red mark is crowned ‘king’ and may call on any number to do any task they please? Well...” The prince snickers while eyeing up the party of nine thieves. “We’re going to change that up a bit.”

The shadow then holds up a small bundle of chopsticks, each one numbered while one has a distinct red mark scribbled onto the end of it. 

“This is no ordinary King’s Game.  _ This _ little contest is known as ‘ _ Mirrored King’s Game!’  _ It’s quite simple, actually.  _ We _ will draw the sticks and call out the commands. However,  _ you  _ nine will have to carry out whatever dares are dished out by your respective cognitive versions. We handle the game, you handle the actual dares. Fair enough?”

“Like hell it’s fair!!” Ryuji slams both fists to the table. “How come you assholes get to determine whatever  _ we  _ do!? That isn’t how King’s Game works!” 

“Aw, but what would be the fun in letting you decide your own dares? After all, you guys could easily just make up whatever easy, harmless commands solely so you can blow through all ten rounds of the game. Trust me, doing it this way is  _ much  _ more interesting~”

Yusuke’s face scrunches in worry. “I…have an awful feeling about this.” 

Akira is surveying the line of seated cognitions of his team. Each one is a spot-on copy, as expected. They’re even wearing the same thief outfits as they are. Although something rather odd catches his eye right away, and soon a realization. 

“Wait,” says Joker. “Our teams are supposed to be matching in numbers, aren’t they? How are we supposed to play this ‘fairly’ if you don’t even have a Joker?” 

“Ohh, you’re right,” Panther agrees. “I don’t see a cognition of Joker on their team…” 

“Aha, whoops! Silly me, I totally forgot—” 

With the snap of the shadow prince’s fingers, another splotch of darkness appears beside him and melts into a regular shadow. Specifically, the attendant from before. “There! Unfortunately, for reasons still currently classified, the  _ actual  _ cognition of Kurusu Akira is unable to enter the castle for the time being. Therefore, I will have one of my royal footmen play in his place for the time being!”

Shadow Goro looks at the footman for a moment and taps a manicured finger to his lips in thought, then snaps his fingers again until a small, white mask magically forms over the shadow attendee’s face. 

“Ahaha— Look! He even has your mask!”

Haru tilts her head. “That’s strange… I would have definitely expected Joker to have a cognitive version of himself in this place… Especially when he and Crow seem rather close.”

The shadow snickers to himself. 

“You know, Goro, this wouldn’t be such a problem if you would just come cleeaan~”

The sight of Goro clenching his fists together in his lap and clearly seething has Akira all the more curious as to  _ what  _ the hell is going on with his cognition. So he really  _ is  _ specifically hiding something from him. But what is there to hide? Has he not already seen his deepest, darkest secrets in both the real world and within this place…?

“Oh, and by the way, failure to comply with or carry out said dares will face punishment by consuming a shot of the poison placed before them.”

“P-Poison!?” Makoto stutters. 

Akira glances over to the complimentary bottle of ice bucket champagne.  _ Poison.  _ So it isn’t even just aphrodisiacs as they assumed, but rather something much more dangerous. 

Futaba twiddles her thumbs. “Nevermind. Suddenly I-I’m not thirsty anymore.” 

“W-Wait, for real!? You mean if we lose, we just freakin’  _ die _ !?”

The shadow smiles deviously as he twists a tuft of hair between his fingers. “Weeell, maybe you won’t  _ die _ , but your heart rate will definitely rapidly increase and you’ll immediately enter a state of myocardial infarction where your body will experience convulsions and seizures, causing your senses to become shot, and you will be on the ground, foaming at the mouth for a solid few minutes or at least until medical attention can miraculously arrive. So perhaps you won’t die per say, but you will at least be paralyzed permanently. So do your beeest ~♡” 

“You’ve got to be shitting me.” Goro grits his teeth. 

“Now let’s begin!!”

Ryuji groans. “This is definitely gonna suck…” 

The shadow flips the sticks over and shuffles them in his hand before passing them around to each of the silent cognitions. Each snickering copy chooses and takes a chopstick in hand, all while eyeing up the opposing group of real thieves. Akira has a bad feeling about this. 

Once they all have their sticks, they each flip them over to reveal their results. The moment they do, the cognitive Panther leaps up with joy. 

“Yes!  _ I  _ have king!! And as king, I commaaand…” the cognition glances carefully across the opposing table as it decides. 

“H-Here we go…” Oracle is shaking somewhat. 

“Guys, whatever it tells you to do,  _ do it _ ,” says Joker. 

“Number… ** _3_ ** _ !!  _ To hold hands with Fox for the remainder of the game!” Once the command is called out, the cognition of Skull raises its stick into the air, revealing it to be labeled as ‘3.’ 

“T-The Hell!? No way—!!”

“Rules are rules, Skull. Better lock digits with your foxy friend over there… Unless of course, you are choosing to  _ refuse  _ Ms. Panther’s dare?” 

“Skull, do it,” orders Akira. 

“But—”

“Do you want to die? Just do it, dumbass!!” yells Goro. 

Ryuji looks between the two other boys and the opposing table a few times before finally groaning and standing up to make his way over to where Yusuke is sitting. He plops down and holds out his hand expectantly, purposely avoiding eye contact with his team mate the entire time as Yusuke carefully laces his fingers within his own. They remain silent for a few seconds until Fox just has to make a comment. 

“For what it is worth, Skull, your hand actually feels quite comfortable to hold.” 

“S-S-Shut up!”

“Now onto  **round two!!** ” The shadow announces. 

They repeat the same process once more, shuffling and passing around the sticks until one finally has the red-marked King’s stick. 

“King, baby!!” the cognition of Skull stands excitedly with a shout. “I dare number  ** _5 _ ** to read the most embarrassing doujinshi they can think of outloud!” 

Futaba’s cognition slowly raises its stick to reveal its called-upon number. The real Futaba sighs. “Oh boy.” 

.

.

.

“Then..he screamed…NO—YOUR C-CUM IS INSIDE, NOOO!! I’M GOING TO GET PREGNAAAANT!!” The girl huffs and slams the small paper doujin copy closed. “Aaand, done. Doujin dialogue is awkward, but you people are looking at a connoisseur here! Shoulda picked a harder one, dumb cog.”

“Geez…” says Ryuji, “she read that garbage like it’s no problem.”

“So, this is what people call…  _ omegaverse _ ,” ponders Yusuke. “Fascinating.”

Goro frowns. “C-Can we move on, please?”

**“Round three!!” ** The shadow passed out the sticks once more. This time, Fox’s cognitive version stands with the red-marked chopstick. 

“I, king, command number…  ** _2_ ** … to remove Noir’s bra with a single hand.” 

“O-Oh my…” Haru gasps. 

Makoto suppresses a shriek when she sees her cognition hold up its stick triumphantly and immediately looks to the fluffy-haired girl beside her. “H-Huh!? Wait, but that’s… I can’t—”

“It’s okay, Queen. It’s just a bra is all, nothing revealing at least. I’m just really glad it is you and not one of the boys,” Haru attempts to reassure her. “You can go ahead.” 

“Okay… then…” 

Reaching one arm over and under her girlfriend’s shirt, she shuffles her hand around before finally locating the bra’s hook, fiddling with the damn thing between her careful fingers, and eventually successfully undoing the straps to pull the undergarment out from underneath the other girl’s clothes with a hot blush across both of their faces. Akira only catches a glimpse of frilly lace before Queen quickly hides it behind her back from anyone’s view. 

“Very good, girls,” Goro’s shadow smiles. “Now for  **round four!** ” 

This time, after drawing up sticks, it’s the cognitive copy of Haru to stand up with a delightful, yet devilish smile. 

“Let’s see… I dare number  ** _6 _ ** to paint a risqué picture of His Highness, the prince, in under thirty seconds.”

“Ohhh, how thoughtful~!” the shadow prince coos. And of course, Fox’s cognition is the one to hold up the stick labeled as six. 

Yusuke instantly perks up. “Finally. A worthy dare of my talents.”

“Hold it, hold it,” Mona cuts in, “How is he even supposed to paint? I don’t see any utensils or anything—”

The shadow prince snaps his fingers to once again summon another splotch of inky cognition, this time melting to reveal a couple of brushes, bottles of paint, and parchment paper. Yusuke kneels to the ground and arranges each item carefully, all the while still holding hands with a very annoyed Skull, before looking up at the prince. 

“Would you mind posing for me a little?”

“Ohh, sure~” 

Fox immediately gets to work. His careful and skilled fingers caressing the brush as he strokes along the paper languidly, swimming the right spots with black paint as he looks up at the posing shadow consistently. Thirty seconds finally pass and he holds up the picture proudly. 

The shadow claps his hands together, delighted. “Absolutely beautiful! You even got my thighs right!”

Yusuke holds the picture up to his hand-held companion. “What do you think, Skull?” 

“Uh, yeah, man. It looks nice. It’s a slutty version of Crow, alright.”

“You shut your mouth,” demands Goro. “Draw the next stick!” 

“Okay, okay~  **Round five** , everyone!!”

The fifth drawing of the sticks. This time, it’s the fake Makoto who rises as king. 

“Looks like ‘Queen’ has become ‘King,’” the cognition laughs to itself quietly. Futaba groans. 

“Ugh. Well, Crow, at least your cognitions of us are pretty spot on. You got the part about Queen having a terrible sense of humor correct.” 

“H-Hey!” 

“Well, it’s true.”

The cognition ignores them and continues on with its call out. “I choose number  ** _8.” _ ** Just then, poor Haru’s copy holds up its stick. The real Haru purses her lips together and gulps in clear nervousness. 

“Number 8 has to take Mona…”

Noir gasps. “Oh no…”

“And she has to…”

“No, please! Please don’t make me hurt Mona-chan!”

“...Snuggle him until he purrs.” 

“Oh.” Haru’s shoulders drop. “Well, that isn’t bad at all then! Come here, Mona-chan—”

The fluffy haired girl reaches over next to her to pick up the small bobble-headed feline and places him gently in her lap, hugging him. “H-Hey, don’t just—” Morgana struggles for a moment until Haru begins petting between his ears, then he calms down and begins to purr quietly just as requested. 

“This is the tamest dare yet,” laughs Joker. 

“Boooring—” Just then, the cognition for Oracle leaps over and snatches up the king’s stick from the cognitive Queen’s hands. “I dare number **_4_** to claw up the bra behind Queen’s back!” 

“That’s me!” yells the fake Morgana as he holds up his own stick. 

“Wait, what!?” The real Mona stammers. “But that’s—”

“You have three seconds or you lose!!”

“Agh!” In a fit of panic, Morgana frees himself from Haru’s arms and lunges for the frilly lace bra, quickly dragging his claws across the surface of it. 

“Mona!!”

“M-Mona-chan!?”

Morgana’s ears fold in shame. “S-Sorry. It said I had to and I just sort of panicked. I-I’ll buy you a new one!” This is not going well at all. 

The shadow prince on the other hand, looks quite pleased with the current situation. “Oho, how interesting. It seems we’ve managed to finish both rounds five and six in one turn.”

“That’s not how King’s Game works,” Futaba pouts. 

Ryuji scowls. “This game  _ sucks.”  _

**“Round seven!”**

The constant reshuffling of sticks is a sound that’s beginning to make Akira feel near sick, both physically and in annoyance. Ten rounds the shadow said. They’re almost done with the final trial. Only three more dares to go and then they can finally move on from this awful nightmare of a party game. 

It’s already occurred to Akira a while ago that this game  _ must  _ be some kind of rigged. They know exactly whose numbers are whose. The shadow prince definitely planned this. The raven partially blames himself for going into this expecting a fair game. 

“Hehya!! I’m King!” This time, it’s the faux Mona shouting in victory with a small red stick in hand. “I command number  ** _9 _ ** to switch phantom thief outfits with Skull!”

The powerful mixture of both horror and humor that crosses over each one of his friends’ faces when the cognitive Panther reveals her stick is a sight Akira will never forget. Especially Ryuji’s reaction. 

“Oh, COME ON— THAT’S JUST BULLSHIT!” 

“W-WAIT, YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?? BUT I DON’T WANT TO— HOW AM I EVEN SUPPOSED TO CHANGE!?” 

“Oh, that won’t be a problem.” The shadow snaps it’s fingers per usual and a rather large splotch appears this time before their booths to melt and morph into two, attached changing stalls. The vexatious prince smiles. “You may use these for privacy.” 

The two blondes glance between each other and the stalls hesitantly, neither one of them wanting to give up their clothes. It’s not like they have much of a choice though. 

“Guys. Do it.” 

They both look at Joker with wavering frowns. “But…” 

“It’s either swap clothes or drink  _ poison _ . Come on, everyone else had to do embarrassing things. It’ll be fine.” 

“Do I have to do it while holding  _ hands? _ ” Ryuji spits. 

“Mm, I’ll make an exception for you to let go just for this,” the shadow prince hums. 

Pausing for a moment to consider, they reluctantly end up giving in and going through with the command. The two blondes sit up and make their way over to the opposing stalls, begrudgingly stepping inside and locking their doors to begin. The others merely listen from their booths as the two argue back and forth through the rather annoying process of trying to figure out how the hell to remove their phantom suits. 

“Stupid. This is so stupid,” Akira can hear Ryuji grumble to himself from the stall. “How the hell am I even supposed to take this dumb belt thing off… Hey, would ya hurry up on your side? I’m almost done!”

“B-Be quiet! Your suit isn’t a one piece or made of latex!” 

The sounds of fabric shuffling and zippers unzipping fills the air awkwardly as the rest of the thieves and cognitions alike continue to simply wait patiently and listen. 

“...Okay, I think I’ve got it now. I’m gonna toss my stuff over to you now.” The quick sight of an unoccupied, red rubber suit draping over the stall wall separating the two is all they see before it’s pulled down to the other side.

“Wha—Wait, what the hell is  _ this?  _ Why is it so small?? How am I supposed to even put this on!?”

“I-I don’t know!”

“It’s  _ your  _ suit, how do you not know!?”

“Because I never have to take it off or put it on! It always just…  _ appears.  _ You know that!” 

“You mean you’ve never had to like… go pee or something?” 

“Uh, no? I just go before hand or hold it. Oh god, do  _ you  _ go pee with your suit on…?” 

“Uhh, duh.”

Ann stammers. “H-How? There aren’t exactly any  _ bathrooms _ in the metaverse.”

“Well, yeah. I just unzip and go in a corner or somethin’.” 

“Skull, that’s gross!!” 

“ _ No,  _ what’s  _ gross _ is trying to figure out how to put on your. Stupid.” Ryuji grunts aloud as the sound of latex stretching fills the room. “ _ Outfit!!  _ Seriously, what’s  _ with  _ this thing!? Why are there so many zippers!? Why are there  _ nipple zippers!?  _ That’s s-so impractical!”

“Welcome to my world,” Panther says flatly. 

After a few minutes of continuous bickering and struggling to put on their new outfits, the two blondes finally unlock their doors and step out of their stalls. The moment they do, half of the room bursts into a roar of laughter while the other half simply feels embarrassed for them. 

The pirate-esque clothes fit rather loosely on Ann as she’s a bit smaller than her friend. The dark sleeves even partially cover up her palms and the scarf is tied differently around her neck. 

Ryuji, on the other hand, this poor man, is struggling just to hold himself up properly in a standing position on the high-heel boots. The suit is almost much too tight on him and yet thanks to the stretchy latex, he still somehow managed to make it fit. 

“ _ God,  _ I so wish cameras could work in the metaverse. This is such a memorable moment,” Futaba snickers. 

Morgana giggles. “Wow, Panther, you rock that outfit better than Skull does.” 

“Shut up—SHUT. UP.” Ryuji pouts as he makes his way back to his seat with the help of Ann. Plopping himself down, he grabs Yusuke’s hand again, only to find the other staring at him awkwardly. 

“What?”

“If it is any consolation, I think you look lovely in that suit, Skull,” says Fox with a small dust of a blush. 

“S-Shut up!” The blonde looks away with a blush of his own. “Come on already, it’s round eight, round eight—Let’s just finish this dumb game so I can go  _ home _ !”

“ **Round eight** ,” says the shadow, suggestively as he begins shuffling and handing out the sticks amongst his party once more. 

It has just occurred to Akira that he and Goro are the only ones to have not suffered through any commands or dares yet. He’s already established that the prince definitely has this entire thing planned given the choice in numbers and dares. And judging by Goro’s reactions, it seems clear he’s figured out the same. All the more reason why Akira frowns nervously when the shadow shoots a sinister smile at the both of them. 

Oh, this… can’t be good. 

“I have king,” says the shadow attendant beside the prince. 

“Thank god,” mumbles an oblivious Ryuji. “How bad can  _ his  _ dare be?” 

The attendant clears his throat, obviously remembering some pre-rehearsed order that the prince likely gave him beforehand. “As king, I command number  ** _1_ ** … to straddle Joker’s lap.” 

It is then that Akira feels his soul simultaneously leave his body as the shadow Goro looks them dead in the eye with a knowing grin and slowly flips over his stick to reveal an accursed number ‘1.’ 

The rest of the room gasps quietly while Goro himself merely sits there with his jaw hanging open and literally shivering, completely stupefied with both shock and rage. The former detective squeezes his eyes shut and faces the ground with clenched fists. 

“W-Why…Why this...” 

“Rules are rules,” the shadow hums. “Go on, Crow. Make yourself comfy.”

Now he understands why this game is the final and most difficult trial. It’s the most  _ humiliating _ . This entire palace has already been a mess of embarrassment for the poor brunette. Akira truly does hate to see him suffer continuously like this. 

“Crow, it’s okay,” he says. “Come on, there's only two more rounds left. You can do this.”

“Yeah. At least you didn’t have to hold hands for the whole game like Fox and Skull,” Ann attempts to lighten the situation. 

“Uhh… I-I don’t know. Sittin’ on someone’s lap is definitely a lot more embarrassin’ I think.”

“Shut  _ up, _ ” Goro seethes through gritted teeth. “I’ll  _ do it _ .” 

Rising from his seat, Goro shifts over to stand before an equally very nervous Akira. He first takes the courtesy to unlatch and remove his sharp-pointed helmet to avoid poking the other boy. Then, inching closer, he hesitantly lifts over one leg at a time until both of his knees are pressing into the cushion of the booth on either side of the raven’s legs, now hovering over his lap. 

With his clawed hands digging into his leather-covered shoulders to hold on, Goro sucks in a breath and forces himself to sit down. The brunette keeps his head turned away, however. He is  _ refusing  _ to look Akira in the eye. 

Goro is sitting in his lap now. 

Goro is… sitting in his lap…

The sight and feeling of the other boy being so close to him, and in such a raunchy way no less, causes a hot blush to burn into the skin of the raven’s cheeks. It’s damn near titillating. 

At least the palace ruler seems pleased. 

“Hmhm, very good… now onto the  ** _ninth round_ ** .” The prince hums delightfully as he passes around the sticks for what feels like the millionth time already. This game feels agonizingly long. It’s simply a myriad of torturesome orders and it’s only become worse as it goes. Akira feels all of this, but really he’s just trying desperately not to pop a boner on his crush. 

However, that’s rather difficult when his shapely thighs are pressing against either side of his lap. It especially does not help that the other’s phantom suit is so skin-tight. 

Different thoughts, Akira. For the love of God—  _ think different thoughts.  _

“Aha, I’m king again!” shouts the cognitive Oracle. 

Haru tilts her head. “But you were never king in the first place. That was more like cheating…”

The cognition ignores her comment and snickers with an ignoble intent. “Let’s make this worse: Joker, put your hands on his ass and hold him closer!”

“ _ Ack—!!”  _ The  _ moment  _ that command was uttered, a panicked gasp escapes Goro’s grit together teeth and his claws dig themselves even deeper into Akira’s shoulders. The raven would protest to the pain, but he can’t exactly blame him. 

But, more importantly: what did the dark haired boy himself do to deserve this absolute torture?

“Hey, what the hell... that’s totally unfair!!” argues Ryuji. “You can’t just call out names. That’s not how it works—”

“The King’s orders are  _ absolute!!”  _ says the cognition. “I’m the king and I can do whatever I want! Now, grab his butt or suffer the consequences!!”

Again,  _ what  _ did Akira do to deserve this?

Goro still isn’t looking at him, but begrudgingly urges him to carry out the order. “Just do it…”

Akira bites his lip. “Crow..”

“ _ Just. Do it.” _

_ It’s either this or drink poison _ , Akira thinks.  _ Part of me, though would rather take the poison… _

With quivering hands and a blush far deeper than he’s ever felt in his life, Akira reluctantly reaches around and carefully places both of his hands on the other’s hips. He already knows that isn’t good enough, however. The raven ultimately heeds the order and slides his hands downward, across the tight latex of the other boy’s striped suit, until finally pressing his palms against the ordered area. 

Goro is much more…  _ voluptuous  _ than Akira initially thought or ever allowed his mind to wonder about. Christ, Akira had no qualms with fucking three identical copies of Goro all at once not even a full twenty-four hours ago, yet for some reason he’s finding it a challenge just to touch the real one’s ass. Seriously, what is wrong with him?

The shadow’s nefarious giggles interrupt his thoughts. 

“Good, good. Now, for the  ** _final round_ ** .” 

‘Fucking  _ finally _ ’ is all he can think as they vastly approach the end of this horrid game. Once more, one last time, the shadow prince reshuffles and redistributes the individual sticks to his party of cognitions. 

That’s when the grand phase of the prince’s plan comes into fruition and the raven realizes right then that he’s in for trouble. A bead of sweat forms at Akira’s temple. A lump takes over the middle of his throat. His stomach drops completely at the sight as the tempter of a prince holds up the red-marked stick, a knowing smirk stretched across his absurdly gorgeous features. 

“Oh, my. Would you like at  _ that _ . Looks like the  _ prince _ has been promoted to  _ king _ ~” 

Goro frowns with a hushed whisper. “ _ There is no way this round is going to be anything easy. _ ” 

“Now, then. For my dare,” The shadow giggles fervently to himself as he eyes up the two boys, a disquieting look in its eyes.

“ _ I _ command the  _ king _ … to kiss Joker.”

The entire room gasps simultaneously at the order. Goro’s eyes immediately shoot themselves open as he whips his head around to snap at his shadow. “YOU CAN’T DO THAT— IT’S COMPLETELY CHEATING TO DARE  _ YOURSELF _ !!”

Panther twinges. “Actually… he can. Because the King—”

“—Can do whatever he wants,” says the shadow smugly. “Now, pucker up for your leader.” 

Akira  _ knew  _ this last dare wasn’t going to be anything simple. 

“Oh, and I don’t mean just a little chaste peck,” the shadow says. “I want the biggest, hottest, tongue-filled kiss you can possibly display for us. And it can’t last for any less than ten seconds.”

Goro is visibly shaking within his hold, still deliberately avoiding eye contact. Akira can’t help but feel guilty. First this palace, his secrets, now this exploitful session of a so-called game. The entire scenario is nothing except unfair to him. 

“Crow.” Goro still doesn’t look at him. “Crow, look at me.” 

Hesitantly, Goro lifts his head to allow those wavering, red eyes to peak up at his of gray. 

“It’s okay. Really, it is.” His hands come up to temporarily break the command from earlier and rub at his back in an effort to calm the young man down. Akira decides to push his feelings aside in order to encourage him. “It’s only for ten seconds, then we win. Then we can beat this place. It’s… a bit exploitative, but it’s just a kiss. It doesn’t mean anything, right?”

To his curiosity, Goro’s expression shifts to a frown. For a brief moment, his auburn eyes flicker with something other than embarrassment… that wasn’t  _ sadness  _ just now, was it? Perhaps he’s seeing things. 

The brunette ultimately nods in response. “F-Fine..” 

The former detective sighs and sits himself up straight, tightening his grip on Akira’s shoulders as he looks him dead in the eye at last. Taking a deep breath, he leans himself forward into the raven’s hold. Gradually and slowly bringing himself closer until their faces are but a mere inch apart. Goro is so...close. So close that Akira can feel the warmth of his belated breaths dust against his agape lips. 

Sucking in a breath, Goro squeezes his eyes shut and dives in, and at long last their lips make contact. 

He knows he promised himself not to let his feelings get the best of him during this situation, however Goro’s lips are… so soft. Warm to the touch, even. It’s chaste at first, but the brunette adheres to the shadow’s command and opens his mouth to allow tongue entry. 

It’s funny. Akira can tell the other boy has never truly kissed anyone else before. Judging by the way his mouth quivers ever so slightly, the way he stiffens when he prods his tongue into his mouth. It’s somewhat adorable. Akira can only assume he’s a virgin as well. Wait, no. That shouldn’t be a thought in his mind. That isn’t appropriate at all to wonder over, especially at the moment. 

Just as he’s shamelessly immersing himself into the warmth of the shy kiss, however, Goro suddenly pulls away and gasps for air. The shadow prince laughs from behind him. 

“Ah-ah, that’s much too short. Try again.”

Goro stammers. “What!?”

“I specifically told you ‘no less than ten seconds.’ That was only five and yes, I am counting. I will not allow you this key until you complete my task. So,  _ try again~” _

“B-But—”

“Look, every time you fail to do it correctly you will have to start over. So you might as well just give your next kiss everything you’ve got. Don’t be shy, put on a show for us,  _ Goro.” _

Goro’s hands tighten their grip once more as he practically seethes atop Akira’s lap. It’s not enough. He’s still holding back. 

“Crow.” He brings a gloved hand up to the former detective’s cheek, caressing the side of his face and running his thumb across the skin of his features. Goro freezes at his touch. “It’s okay. I mean that.”

The brunette merely gazes back to him with meticulous eyes, his lips no longer quivering, but instead much calmer than before. 

“Kiss me.” 

Goro’s eyes right then become filled with something new, something with more resolve and peace than before. He doesn’t squeeze his eyes shut this time, but rather, he just simply closes them as he leans forward with still lips this time. He admittedly looks beautiful like this. The momentary sight of which serves to make Akira’s heart beat just a little faster than usual in the confines of his chest. 

Their lips brush against one another for a moment, then meet once more- this time, in a far more intimate manner. The kiss is only chaste for less than a second before evolving into something more open-mouthed. Now tongue is welcomed from the start rather than needing to be allowed any sort of permission. For this long moment, they forget everyone in the room. Suddenly the VIP area becomes nothing but the two of them. As if that’s all it’s ever been or ever will be. It almost feels peaceful like this. 

Before he knows it, Crow is leaning more into Joker’s hold, his chest now pressing against his own. His hands shift from resting upon his shoulders to wrapping his arms around his neck for a better angle. Slender fingers entangle themselves loosely into black curls as Goro pulls him closer. How odd, Joker thinks, that he’s immersing himself within this dare so much. As if they were something more than friends.

In another untimely moment, Akira feels the brunette’s hips make even more intimate contact with his own. He grinds down, down against his once contained erection, causing the both of them to moan quietly into the kiss as their tongues continue to rub against one another. It feels incredible. Akira drunkenly wishes they could stay like this forever. 

All dreams come to an end, however. 

Eventually, Goro pulls back ever so slightly, a thin trail of spit still connecting them. The two of them open their eyes to be immediately greeted with each other’s soft-spoken gazes. Neither one of the boys say anything as they stay like that for just a moment, a light blush across their cheeks. 

Quietly pulling himself away from his drunken stupor, Akira instantly remembers that they are indeed  _ not  _ alone. 

All seven thieves situated onto their booth are staring at them in silence with wide eyes and dropped jaws, none of them daring to say a single word. Makoto has a hand to her mouth, Ryuji looks like he’s about to explode into a screaming fit, and Haru is shielding Futaba’s eyes in the hopes of sparing a shred of innocence. 

It takes Goro a moment, but eventually the same realization registers in his mind as his expression slowly contorts into one of exasperation.

“My, my. What happened there, I wonder,” the shadow breaks the silence with a hum as he rubs at his chin in thought. “I only said to kiss for ten seconds. That was an entire minute.” 

“AGHH—!!”

Goro lets out a panicked shout and immediately pushes himself away from Joker, falling off of the boy’s lap and down to the floor with a crash. 

“Mmm, I didn’t say you could get off quite yet, but that was quite a show you put on for us, so I believe I will let it slide.” The shadow prince clasps his hands together in delight. “Congrats, you win the kings game!! Here is your well-earned key!”

All seven of the cognitions of the other thieves then morph and burst into a shower of confetti across the room. The small bottle of poison sitting within the ice bucket, in turn melts away into inky darkness to reveal yet another decorative key. 

Goro immediately scrambles up off the floor to his feet and snatches the key up. 

“Get. Out.”

“W-Wait, what about my clothes—”

“NOW. GET OUT—  _ EVERYBODY _ .  **GET. THE. FUCK. OUT!!** ”

.

.

.

Akira is just glad to finally be done with these god forsaken trials once and for all, especially that last game… He feels relieved. 

Shortly after the other thieves have exited the palace (or rather, they were  _ forced  _ via a very angry and mortified Goro), Akira leads the other four out of the horrific hothouse club. Beyond that floor, they discover a foyer room with a passageway at the end of it. Through there, they find themselves before an elongated flight of stairs spiraling directly upwards into presumably the tallest tower of the castle. The five thieves look to each other and nod before beginning their climb up.

It is nothing short of a lengthy climb up. This set of stairs seemingly goes on forever. It doesn’t make it any easier that their only source of light in this stone-enclosed stairwell are the torches along the dark-pink walls and the dim light emanating from the stained glass windows. 

“God…” Ann groans. “Are we almost there yet..?”

“Stay vigilant, we should be getting close,” says Akira. 

Just as he says that, the group finally finds themselves at a dead end, presumably the top of the tower at last. Before them, lies yet another large and ornamental set of heavy double doors. It appears that this is the final room… 

“Oh! I can sense the treasure from here. It’s definitely inside this room!” Morgana chimes. 

“Finally… I’m ready to get out of this weird pirate-y outfit.”

“It looks rather comfortable though, at least,” says Queen. Ann flutters the sleeves up and down childishly for emphasis. “It is!”

Approaching the intimidating frame, Akira then tries for the door handle. Locked. After a few more attempts, he lays off and turns to the rest of the group. 

“Seems we can't get in.”

“Like hell we can’t. There  _ has  _ to be some other way around,” argues Goro. 

“I don’t think there is…” says Morgana. “We’ve already scoped put this entire castle and there was  _ no  _ other way up to this part of the tower. And… I don’t see any tricks or openings of any kind around this door.” 

“How are we supposed to secure a proper route to the treasure then?” Panther asks. 

Queen puts a finger to her chin in thought. “This  _ is  _ odd… Perhaps the door will open once we send the calling card?” 

Goro crosses his arms and stares at the door, clearly agitated at the lack of knowledge of what lies beyond. The former detective has always been a person of vigilance and precaution. Everything has to have a set and clear-as-day plan. Reducing as much risk as possible is the easiest way to go about metaverse business, after all. It’s how Goro has managed to keep himself in one piece for the past three years of working with this place.

“We don’t really have a choice then. We’ll just have to rely on the notion that the outside change in your cognition will allow us access to this room,” Akira says. “At least we know for sure that the treasure is here _ . _ ” 

Crow looks down and sighs. “I  _ hate _ this place.”

  
  
  
  
  
  


“Is this truly necessary…?”

Goro sighs to himself as he sits in one of the booths of Leblanc, arms folded over the table as the raven before him holds an all-too-familiar red card in his hand. Phantom thief logo printed on the back and all. 

“It’s all part of the procedure, so yes. Once you read your calling card, your shadow should become agitated and we’ll finally be able to infiltrate, steal your treasure, and take down your palace for good,” says Morgana. “We’ll give you some time to read it.” 

“And  _ he  _ has to stay with me while I do so..?” 

“Well, we need to make sure you actually  _ read  _ it! No cheating and be quick about it! We’ll all be waiting for you outside.” Morgana huffs after making his statement clear and leaps off of the table to pitter patter out of the small cafè, leaving Akira alone with the brunette. Akira slides into the booth across from him and looks at the other with careful eyes. 

“You okay?”

“...Yes, yes. Just a little…  _ dreading _ is all.” 

“Well, it’s almost over. We just have one last step.” Akira places the card on the table and slowly slides it over to the former detective. 

Goro stares at it for a moment with a twinged face and then sighs deeply. Taking the calling card into his hands at last, he flips the small addressal over and carefully reads it aloud as instructed. 

_ “Sir Akechi Goro, the self-indulgent sinner of lust and despair. Succumbed to your abiding melancholia, you have lost yourself amidst your filthy fixations within the worlds of erotica and pornography alike. Thus, allowing your everyday life and doings to fall victim to your lascivious addiction. Therefore, you and we together will steal your distorted desires as your first step towards rehabilitation.  _

  * __Signed, The Phantom Thieves.”__

The moment the former detective utters the displayed message, a familiar sight of blackened distortion warps around the room, the shadow prince appearing in place of the real Goro. He’s staring Akira dead in the eyes with a grin and half-lidded gaze. 

_ “Well, well. If you are serious about this, then the two of you better make haste. I’ll be waiting for you both at the top, in my quarters.” _

The world around him distorts once more until the blackened scenery disappears with a flash, along with the prince. 

Looks like it worked. 

“Ugh,” groans Goro as he tosses the card back to the table and stands up to gather his coat. “Remind me to burn that when we get back.” 

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will Goro’s suffering end?
> 
> Will Joker finally come clean to his crush?
> 
> Will Ann keep the pirate costume? 
> 
> Find out next week


	4. The Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS IT THE BIG FINALE!! I HOPE YA’LL ARE READY!! 
> 
> CAN YOU TAKE A WILD GUESS AT WHAT THE TREASURE COULD BE?? 
> 
> LET’S FIND OUT!!
> 
> PLEASE ENJOY!!!!

  
  
  


They arrive directly in front of the entrance of the castle. However, this time, the air around them feels much different. It is far more stagnant and the distortions seem to be more disturbed. 

“Looks like the calling card worked,” says Morgana. “The palace ruler is on edge.”

_ On edge _ , he says. It didn’t seem that way at all when Akira was confronted by the shadow itself in Leblanc. Rather, the prince seemed to be…  _ pleased.  _ As if it were waiting for this. The memory only serves to make Akira even more anxious about the heist than usual. Best be alert. 

“Stay on your guard. Let’s do this.” With that, the raven straightens his gloves per habit and quickly leads the others inside. 

The palace is on exceptionally high alert, with knight-esque shadows looming around every corner, as expected. The overall cognition and level of distortion, as well, increase the further they proceed through their designated routes throughout the castle. Sticking to their pre-planned course, however, they manage to slip past the majority of danger and finally arrive at their previous position at the top of the prince’s tower. Although to their surprise, the once tightly sealed door is now left cracked open for any to enter. 

“It’s open…” gasps Ann. 

“It seems like your speculations were correct. The sending of the calling card has somehow opened up the door,” says Makoto. Morgana shakes his head with a frown. 

“That’s… really unusual. The calling card definitely affects cognition, but why would just  _ that  _ cause the furthest part of Crow’s mind to just suddenly open up to us? If anything, you would think that the room where the treasure is located would be especially protected…”

Akira was thinking just the same thing. None of this makes any sense. The treasure room should be kept under strict security,  _ especially _ after the sending of the calling card. It’s why the group was so wary about leaving the palace without a surely secured route yesterday. It’s almost as if the shadow  _ wants  _ them to find it. But, if that’s the case, then why are there still such highly alerted guards…? Is Goro himself hesitant about something?

“Well, there’s no use in sitting around pondering what we don’t or  _ can’t  _ know without seeing for ourselves,” says Goro impatiently. “Let’s just head inside already.” 

Akira agrees and takes the lead per usual ahead of the group, Goro closely behind him as they pull open the door slightly and enter the torch-lit corridor beyond. Right as they do, however, there is a soft creaking of the door heard behind them, filling the eerie space until—

** _*SLAM*_ **

The two stop in their tracks and immediately turn back around towards the doorway to find it slammed closed, their friends on the other side cut off from them. 

“What the hell—” 

Goro is instantly at the door to try for the handle as well as Akira, banging against the wooden structure with their shoulders in an effort to even budge it. Nothing. 

“Shit. This is just great.” 

Akira observes the door for a moment. Shutting itself is one thing, but locking? This is definitely the shadow’s doing. He must not want more guests than necessary. 

“Judging by the fact that we can’t even hear our friends who are most likely banging on the door like a pack of idiots from the other side, I’d say it’s too thick to break down.” Goro takes a step back and sighs. “So, what should we do, leader?” 

There are no windows in this hallway to climb around and he doubts that there are any more secret passageways either. It appears they’re stuck for now. 

“We keep going.”

“To the treasure room. Without our group.”

“Look, doors don’t just lock themselves. This is likely your cognition’s doing. And if that’s the case and he really wants just  _ us  _ in here, then trying to get to the others from here will only be futile. We don’t have much time.”

Goro’s face scrunches. He doesn’t look so sure about this plan  _ or _ idea. “...You really think it will be fine?” 

“I hope so. Let’s stick close.”

With that, the two boys pull themselves away from the door and proceed upwards into torch-bright darkness, to the farthest point of the prince’s tower. A small flight of spiral steps up, and they soon find themselves before the door to what Akira assumes to be his ‘quarters’ as the shadow mentioned to him back in Leblanc. Despite the soft hues of rosè and gold decorating the structure of the entrance similar to the castle foyer, unknowing of what lies behind them sends a chill down the raven’s spine. 

He’s about to reach for the handle when Goro speaks up, voice suddenly small. 

“H-Hey. Are you… are you sure you are prepared for this?”

“Yeah. It’s unpredictable, but I think I brought plenty of medicine, so—”

“No, I mean…” Goro pauses and takes a short breath. He looks worried, as if he’s contemplating something. “Do you still mean what you said…back then, before we even entered this place? About how you’re my friend… no matter what? That you won’t just leave no matter what you see?”

_ What the hell is he talking about?  _ “Well… yeah. Of course. Why would I say that if I wasn’t one-hundred percent serious?” 

Goro looks down and bites his lip in thought. Why does he look  _ afraid?  _ Actually, more importantly—why does he look almost  _ guilty?  _

The brunette pauses for a long moment. 

“...Joker, I—”

Right then, the door swings open on its own. The boys’ heads turn in unison towards the dark room now wide open before them. Then without warning, something emerges—

“What the hell is  _ this  _ now—!?” Something of length and leather wraps itself taut around their bodies and drags the two of them inside as the door closes behind. 

When the unknown grappler ceases its pulls at last, that’s when the lights from the above chandelier and surrounding candelabras ignite to reveal the entirety of the room around them. 

Obnoxiously fluffy, white shag carpet covers the floor all around and beneath them. The white and gold walls of the tall, circular room are lined with decorative columns and drapes in which strings of glowing gold beads decorate  _ those  _ as well. Eventually, their blurry eyes settle on the king-sized, royally-decorated, pink and gold bed at the end of the room. With, of course, the shadow of Akechi Goro sitting in wait with a grin upon his face. In his hand, are the handle ends of the leather whips currently binding them together. 

“Welcome. I should congratulate you on making it this far. I must say, I am a slight bit of surprised that you managed to make it here.”

Goro growls as he struggles within the bind’s grasp. “We’ve played your games and won, now we’re going to end this!”

“Really, now? But did you win, really? Did you...?”

The former detective seethes. “We  _ beat  _ your stupid games, your ridiculous trials—now we’re going to defeat  _ you _ , take your treasure, and then this whole thing will finally be over.”

The shadow sighs as he nonchalantly rests his chin in hand and looks at the struggling detective, sympathetic. “ _ Over _ , you say. You really think this will all just magically be over once you steal my treasure? Come on, you  _ know  _ that taking down this palace isn’t going to solve all of your problems, right? You  _ know  _ that—”

“Of course it will, that’s how it’s always been!!” Goro’s voice cracks slightly as he shouts back at the cognition. “You don’t know anything about my problems—!!”

“Goro, Goro... _ Who _ do you think you’re arguing with here? Honey, I  _ am  _ you.  _ ‘I’  _ am the manifestation of your desires, I am your sins, your secrets, your  _ shadow _ …?  _ Duh.” _

“I’m going to  _ KILL  _ you—!!”

“Crow!” Akira tries. “Stop it, what the hell has gotten into you!?”

“Tsk, tsk.” The shadowy prince merely clicks his tongue and shakes his head in disappointment. “Ohh, well. I suppose if you aren’t going to listen to reason, then I will have to try this another way…” 

In an instant, the shadow straightens himself and kicks open the covers to reveal an open cage beneath the large bed as he forcefully yanks one of the whips back, causing Akira to roughly slide across the floor and directly into the metallic space. “Whoa—!!” The shadow’s leg drops down from his sitting position upon the bed to casually push the cage door closed, effectively trapping the raven. 

Akira immediately gathers himself, flips over and crawls toward the bars of the bed cage in an effort to shake free somehow. Nothing. “Crow!!”  _ Damn it _ , they won’t even budge!

The prince’s maniacal giggles fill the echoey space as he stands and yanks at the other whip in his hand, pulling Goro himself towards him before grabbing him by his striped suit and throwing him on top of the bed behind. The shadow’s knees then dip into the plush mattress as he crawls over to the brunette, straddling either side of his waist and pinning his arms above his head as he looks down at him. 

Goro twists and jerks his body violently in a futile effort to free himself from the shadow’s grip. 

“Let me  _ go!! _ ”

“Aw, poor Goro. So helpless, so unwanted—”

“ _ Shut up..!!” _

“Spending most of his free time locked away in his room, after each shift, after each school day, after every mission. Helpless to his own desires.”

“I SAID SHUT UP!!”

“It’s all you can feel, after all. Especially when you’re so alone and unneeded in this world. Hell, why  _ not  _ just give yourself a good little fuck? At least then you’ll feel something other than hollowness and the crippling want to be around someone. At least while you sit there; be it your bed, mementos, or even your own office, playing with yourself… you don’t feel so numb anymore. Albeit only temporarily. But that’s just enough to make you crave even more, isn’t it?”

“I-I…”

“To not feel so...alone...for once.” The shadow hums as he leans in closer. “It feels especially disgraceful now, doesn’t it? Now that’s  _ he’s  _ here.”

Goro is about to retaliate, but chokes on his own response. 

Akira pauses. Now that  _ he’s  _ here…? What does—

“That’s why you were sooo hesitant to bring him here. To let him see the real you. Your inner thoughts, your emotions…the reason for your addiction becoming even more distorted than it already was. Because of  _ you,  _ my beloved knight can’t even enter my castle.” The shadow purrs knowingly as Goro looks to the creature with begging eyes. “You were so afraid that once he entered this place and discovered your feelings, that he would reject you. Abandon you. Just. Like. Every. Body. Else.”

_ Feelings…!?  _ Akira thinks to himself. 

Goro is no longer struggling, but instead he’s shivering within the shadow’s hold, his eyes becoming glassy as he fights the tears. “S-Stop it…” 

“Aww, he wants me to stop. That’s so funny.” The shadow giggles cynically. “As if that’s even close to what you’re  _ really _ thinking, you little  _ skank _ .” 

“Wait...Agh!!” Goro gasps when the prince lowers his hips and grinds against him,  _ hard.  _ More sinister laughter fills the room as the former detective bites his lip to suppress a moan. 

“Unbelievable. Even now you’re still thinking about fucking yourself.” The shadow’s hand reaches around from behind to palm roughly at Goro’s erection. The brunette beneath him chokes out a cry as he subconsciously bucks into the other’s grip, much to the prince’s pleasure. “So eager…Here, while we’re at it, why don’t you live out one of your self-absorbed little slut fantasies and give yourself a taste—”

The shadow releases his grip on Goro’s wrists, but keeps a knee pinned to his chest as quickly lifts himself up and spins himself around until his thighs are on either side of Goro’s head. Effectively reverse straddling his face as both hands massage at his latex-covered crotch. Reaching one hand around, he feels for the waistband of his panties beneath the pink garter belts and slowly pulls down, revealing the pliant and twitching hole beneath. 

“Oh dear,” the shadow chuckles lowly as his manicured index finger rubs at the tip of Goro’s wettening cock. “Are you actually getting  _ hard  _ at the sight of your own ass? You even have a bit of pre-cum forming…here, why don’t we  _ both  _ help each other?”

The shadow then brings his hips down roughly as he leans forward to mouth at the eager cock hidden beneath Goro’s suit, all as he effectively smothers his real self. 

It’s shameful, the way Goro’s tongue instinctively pokes out to lick small, hot stripes across his copy’s hole, curious of his own flavor. He’s doing it  _ again _ . Allowing his distasteful desires to get the better of him, his fantasies. Giving into his deplorable addiction as the shadow atop him merely continues to kindle his unkempt lust. All the while mentally disguising it as something of necessity;  _ fooling  _ himself into believing. He’s such a coward. 

“Hmph,” the prince hums, the vibrations going straight to Goro’s cock. “You like tasting yourself?” 

He’s so  _ sick _ of this. 

“What’s the matter? This  _ is  _ what you want, isn’t it? Don’t you want someone to just fuck you already? To shove you to this bed and love you anyway you want? Particularly a certain raven-haired boy below~?”

He’s sick of  _ himself _ . 

Goro’s hands come up to feel at the shadow’s thigh. Particularly searching for a certain lace garter he recalls seeing before. 

“Look at you, enjoying this so much that you’re even feeling up a copy of yourself. I bet you’re doing what you always do too, closing your eyes and imagining it to be your own closest friend _ .  _ You’re so disgustingly  _ shameless.” _

The shadow ceases his movements and hums in appreciation at his work. Straightening himself once again, the prince gives one last wriggle of his hips before lifting himself back up and spinning back around to face his real self as he resumes his earlier grinding motions against either of their cocks, a devilish yet clearly frustrated smirk plastered to his features. 

“How about this now? Enjoying yourself? You’re such a fucking  _ whore. _ ” His hands pin themselves to either side of Goro’s head as he continues both his movements as well as his words. 

“After all, he’s all you’ve ever thought about ever since that day. The day you met at the TV station. That gentle curiosity turned quickly to infatuation as time went on and things became complicated. You had to do things you regret—awful things. And even after everything had settled, he still stood by you and your relationship grew until finally your poor heart couldn’t take the resentment anymore. You began giving into your lust, your fondness, your growing attachment every single night. Yet all the while you kept it to yourself. Never sought out help. Never allowed him to find out. All because you couldn’t bring yourself to confess that you love Kurusu Akira—!!”

A quiet gasp drops from the shadow’s lips as he instantly halts his movements and then… silence. 

Slowly, the prince tilts his head downward. The sight he is greeted with is none other than his very own dagger pierced into his abdomen. Accompanied by the light glare of his real self. Goro must have taken it while he wasn’t aware. 

His lips close together and he says nothing as he stares at it in disbelief yet odd acceptance at the notion that he has in fact managed to defeat him. The shadow carefully lifts his legs up and over the brunette’s hips and allows himself to slide to the floor beside the bed. At the same time, a  _ *click*  _ sounds itself from below and the cage door breaks open. 

“Joker!” Goro is immediately jumping from the bed and scurrying to help the other boy out of the cage and to his feet. “Are you alright?”

Akira rubs at his shoulder. That was a hell of a drag across the floor. He looks to Goro and nods. “Yeah, I am. But…”

Their attention turns to the shadow currently sitting propped up against the bed, unmoving as he stares at the floor. The two of them approach the copy and stand before him as they await for some sort of snarky response. The prince merely looks up at them and smiles. 

“It’s funny. I did all of this because a part of you wanted to tell him. To finally work up the courage and face not only your obsession but your infatuation as well. And that’s exactly what you got. However… it looks like my knight still won’t enter the castle,” the shadow laughs sadly. 

“Those things you said just then…  _ that’s  _ why the knight couldn’t enter your castle?” Akira asks softly. The prince chuckles. 

“It is a bit more complicated than that. I really do love him, I do. However, I just couldn’t bring myself to accept the likely alternative that my feelings would not be returned. And so I pushed him away, partially. Refused to admit to myself that I had developed such feelings of  _ want.  _ Therefore, I reduced myself to these lows of simply fantasizing about him as it was the next best thing…or so I told myself. I am quite selfish in these matters, you see. I didn’t just want my knight to enter my castle and see for himself how I feel, I wanted him all to myself. I’ve wanted that for quite a long time. My mistake was that I was too much of a coward. Now look at me, I allowed this to cause my addiction to grow to the point where  _ this  _ is what I honestly think of myself,” he gestures to the palace as a whole. 

Part of Akira feels somewhat…  _ guilty _ . Goro is sitting here calling himself a coward for refraining from admitting his feelings, while he himself is absolutely no different. 

The shadow lazily grips at the sheets of the bed and carefully stands and hobbles his way over to the door. “Mm, well… I’m going to go rest somewhere a bit less crowded. You two can hash out how or if you’re going to steal my treasure. It appears I no longer have any need to have my heart stolen, after all.” And with that, the door creaks open as the copy walks away, a familiar haze of light signaling his soon approaching disappearance beginning to encompass him. 

Akira looks over to Goro who is currently looking down at the floor, unsure what to say. 

“So… now you know the truth, I suppose.” 

Akira remains silent. 

“Oh well, I don’t expect anything in return. I’m happy to just have you by my side at all.” He smiles, albeit somewhat sadly. “Let’s just take the treasure and get out of here—oh, actually ...wait, where  _ is  _ the treasure? There’s nothing up here…”

The treasure is one of many things that are far from the raven’s thoughts at the moment. The shadow prince’s words are too busy replaying in his mind over and over. Goro loves him. 

Goro  _ loves _ him. 

_ This  _ is what he was so hesitant about. The whole time,  _ this _ is what he had been specifically hiding from him. The entire time they had been wandering throughout this palace, performing these trials, playing these games— Hell, even the look in Goro’s eyes when they were forced to kiss each other during the King’s Game…they had  _ both  _ been struggling with admitting their feelings and wants. 

Suddenly the realization of what the treasure is hits Akira like a god damn train. 

“Do I just not have a treasure..? Hey, you said Oracle had one of those ‘natural changes of heart,’ right? Is this how it works?”

“No. I don’t think it’s like that.”

“Ah… is that so.”

It’s not a real question. Suddenly, Goro can’t look at him. Akira isn’t faring much better anyway. 

How could he have been so oblivious?

There isn’t much time to ponder before Goro starts to laugh quietly.

“I suppose it makes sense. Honestly, I’m a little tired of this place by now. Maybe we could head back and see what happe—” Akira doesn’t even give the other boy a chance to finish his sentence before he swoops in, spins him around, grabs him by his slender shoulders, and pulls him into a kiss far deeper and more intimate than the one they had shared the other day. His hands quickly come up to caress the sides of Goro’s soft cheeks, pulling his face even closer even as Goro instinctively freezes under the touch. 

The raven wastes no time as he eventually pulls away and bends down to scoop up the stunned detective into his arms.

“A-Akira—!?” 

Once more, he leans down to smother Goro’s words with a kiss as he carries him back over to the bed. He reluctantly breaks the kiss temporarily in order to properly lay Goro down onto the mattress before crawling over top of him and impatiently taking his lips once again. 

Goro pulls away and gasps for air. “A-Akira, w-what are you—”

“I love you too.”

Goro freezes with wide eyes as he stares up at him, dry-mouthed and speechless. “I-I don’t understand…”

“Goro, please just stop overthinking for one minute and  _ listen to me, _ ” Akira says, pressing his body down against Goro’s as his hand comes up to rub at his cheek. “You’re not the only coward here, you know. I’ve wanted to tell you for so, so long. All this time I thought that surely you didn’t feel that way. But if you do… I don’t want to waste any more time. Don’t you agree?”

“...I don’t know,” Goro admits, incredulous. “I don’t know. Why are you doing this? You don’t have to perform just to get rid of this place. I can live with it, really, I...”

“Well, I  _ can’t _ ,” Akira breathes a hushed whisper against the other’s lips. “It’s not a  _ performance.  _ This place itself, my promise from earlier; it isn’t just about taking down this place. I did this for  _ you _ . I’m doing this because I  _ want  _ to. I’m kissing you and pressing you into the bed because I  _ love  _ you.”

Goro shakes his head against the pillows, avoiding his gaze. “Please…Stop. This is far enough. I’m serious, you don’t have to do this. Please don’t say these things because you feel like you have to...” 

What is going on with him? Why is he acting so  _ hesitant?  _ This isn’t anything like the cognitions or fantasies of himself that Akira witnessed and experienced for himself earlier. He’s refraining from giving into what he obviously wants. Those visuals from the Hall of Fantasies are Goro’s. They both already know that he wants this. So why does he feel the need to hold back? 

Akira takes his hands in his. “Goro, I’m not an idiot. Why are you holding back? Just tell me the truth.” 

“I’m not  _ holding  _ anything back! I’m telling you that you don’t have to do this!”

“And I’m telling  _ you _ that I  _ want  _ to do this,” his grip tightens. “You just admitted that you’ve loved me back this whole time and now I’m trying to tell you the same, so why are you being so damn stubborn—”

“BECAUSE EVEN IF YOU DID, I DON’T DESERVE IT ANYWAY!!” The shout into his face startles the raven. 

“Because I… I’ve done so, so many horrible things to you, including dragging you into this awful place.” Goro throws his arm up to cover his eyes as he quietly hiccups out sobs. Akira’s heart drops when he sees a small stream of tears running from underneath the striped forearm. “I tried to  _ kill _ you. And even after  _ that  _ I still thought about you every single night… Allowed myself to become so engrossed in my desires even though I was sure they would never be fulfilled. Even though you went out of your way to find me after the cruiser… even after you claimed you forgave me and accepted me back… even then, I  _ still  _ kept doing it. I kept touching myself to you, pretending that you were really there.”

“Goro..”

“Don’t you see…?  _ This  _ is why this place exists in the first place. I’m disgusting. I fantasize about companionship, but I don’t actually deserve it. I’m a good-for-nothing  _ whore _ —”

Akira instantly rips Goro’s arm away from his face, “THAT ISN'T TRUE!!” Goro freezes and looks up at him. 

“You’re not shameful or horrible for feeling that way or thinking about those things. You think you’re the only one who fantasized in that way about the other ? You think you’re the only one who ever allowed themselves to immerse into their desires, their fantasies?  _ I  _ think about it every night too. I  _ have  _ been, ever since we started to become close. It’s one of the only things that’s ever filled my mind so constantly. I love you.  _ I love you.  _ You are  _ not  _ disgusting and you are especially not some good-for-nothing. You are  _ so  _ beautiful and deserving of happiness in every other way possible and you’re one of the most important people in my life and I…”

Now it’s  _ his  _ turn to be cut off. Goro’s arms come up to wrap tightly around the raven’s neck as he pulls him down into even more kissing. They stay just like that for a few moments, just the two of them in a loving embrace in the midst of this once accursed palace. It’s as if time has stopped just for their sakes. It even takes Akira a moment to register the fact that Goro has finally pulled away to look into his eyes. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you dare apologize,” says Akira. “Like I said, you’re not the only one who was in denial of themselves for so long.” 

Maybe he is too far gone to realize it. Goro  _ also  _ isn't the only one to ever…  _ fantasize  _ or desire the other in such a way. The raven pulls back for a moment to take in Goro’s trembling form as his hands trail down to smooth over latex-covered thighs.

“Let me prove to you that this…” Akira gestures to the bed. ”...isn’t too different from my own fantasies.”

With that, Akira presses their bodies closer and takes his lips once again. This time, the kiss is much warmer. There is no hesitancy in the way their tongues happily allow one another into their mouths. Rather, it’s nothing but welcomed. The way their mouths gradually open and lock with each other, the way their tongues always find each other and twist and swirl together hungrily. Both of them can feel their uncertainty slowly melting away as they move their lips against each other. The two boys even find themselves quietly moaning into one another’s mouths the longer it goes on. 

Akira opts to take it slow. Careful not to break the kiss, he repositions his legs to straddle the other until their hips are perfectly aligned. Their hands are still laced together in unison when Akira begins slowly grinding atop Goro’s lap, pushing and rubbing their erections against one another. The action causes  _ Goro  _ to pull away from the kiss just slightly to let out a staggered moan against his lips. Of course, he instantly realizes the shameless sound he’s just made and chooses to bury his face into the crook of the other thief’s shoulder. All the while Akira continues to grind their bodies together. 

Although, even Akira himself has his limits. At this point, there’s no more hiding. They’ve both established how much they want this. The raven hovers just inches from the brunette’s face as he whispers to him with a smile. 

“May I?” 

Goro smiles widely and nods his head eagerly. 

With his lovely prince’s permission, Akira reaches around for his own dagger. Blade in hand, he  _ carefully  _ drags the sharp tip along the front of the fabric, all the way across the chest and up to the neck, fully exposing Goro’s body to his liking. Meanwhile, Goro reaches up to try at the buttons of Akira’s grey shirt, slowly undoing each one with trembling hands until his toned chest is equally as exposed to avid hands. He momentarily stretches over to the side of the bed where a nightstand sits, opening the drawer and rummaging around until he found, as expected, a bottle of lube. 

Leaning down to take the other’s lips one last time, he pulls away, slightly tugging at the smirking brunette’s bottom lip before beginning a trail of kisses down his neck. Despite Goro’s new resolve in the matter, he still displays some hints of shyness at the feeling of being touched by another for the first time. He’s hesitating and he’s not quite sure what to do with his hands here. 

“A-Akira…”

“Shh…” he whispers against his skin. 

Akira pauses when he gets to his collarbone. The dark-haired boy’s lips encompass around the soft touch of skin, kissing, sucking… his teeth gently nipping at the vulnerable flesh. The action causes Goro to elicit a suppressed squeak. Akira responds with a gentle hum as he marks up his new lover anyway. “For when you look at yourself in a mirror next time. Just a way for you to remember who you belong to…” The blush that invades Goro’s face in that moment makes him grin against his skin. Soon, he resumes his array of kisses down to his chest, repeating the same action as before as he maneuvers his head over to one of the other’s nipples. 

“W-Wait, I—  _ mm!”  _ Goro groans softly as the raven takes the rosy flesh between his teeth, his tongue flicking at the bud in an effort to make the other squirm beneath him. The sound goes straight to his cock, and Goro’s hand flies up to cover his mouth.

“—God, I’m sorry, I just…”

“Goro.”

Akira reaches up and gently eases the hand away, rubbing comforting circles into his palm. At this point, being direct feels like the only right answer. 

“I... really want to hear you moan. Okay?”

He impatiently pulls away once more, quickly dragging his barrage of kisses down to Goro’s still very much eager cock as he unscrews the cap to the small bottle of lube and lathers his fingers. Akira experimentally runs the flat of his tongue against the underside of his cock. The low sound of the other’s moans urges him to continue as he finally takes the tip of his cock between his lips, bobbing his head up and down into a calculated rhythm while he inserts two fingers. 

“F-Fuck, Akira,” Goro gasps aloud and grips at the bedsheets. The feeling of the other’s tongue coupled with the way his increasing digits curl oh so nicely against his prostate is almost too much to bear in itself. Out of every private session he’s had with himself,  _ none  _ of them could ever compare to what he’s feeling at this very moment. He could stay like this for  _ ages,  _ he feels like. 

When Akira has deemed him good and stretched enough, he finally removes his fingers. Crawling back up to situate himself between Goro’s eagerly spread apart thighs. Bottle of lube in hand, Akira is about to coat his own length in preparation until Goro stops him. 

“Wait, let me do it…” 

The raven more than happily hands over the bottle to him as Goro is already unbuttoning his pants and pushing them down slightly to reveal his erection. His eyes widen at the sight of it, mouth slightly agape in both arousal and surprise at its considerable size. Akira smirks, cocky. 

“Like what you see?”

“You’re… bigger than I expected,” he says as he quickly unscrews the cap and squeezes a generous amount onto his hands before reaching down to wrap around Akira’s shaft, stroking up and down...up and down…his thumb rolling along the head with such gentleness. It’s quite adorable watching how in awe he is at the feeling of another’s dick. 

Even in the midst of Goro’s surprisingly incredible handwork, Akira still can’t help but grin. “I take it you are impressed.”

“Oh, I’ve thought about _your cock _quite a lot. It feels so much better than I ever imagined… I might not need my toys anymore after this…” Goro mumbles absentmindedly. Fuck, he’s so cute. 

“I think that’s good,” says Akira as he positions himself. His hands slide down to the other boy’s hips to pull him closer as the tip of his cock presses gently against his entrance. He leans down to rest his forehead against the other’s, looking directly into his eyes. Those beautiful eyes that radiate and look at him with so much love, so much need. “Are you ready?”

“Yes.” 

With that, Akira’s grip tightens on his hips as he slowly, gently pushes inside. The tight feeling immediately enveloping around his cock as he continues pushing further in. He can feel Goro’s warm breath begin to stagger against his lips when he’s inserted himself all the way.

“I’m gonna start moving now, okay?”

Goro nods with a breath. “Okay.” 

Cautiously, Akira begins moving his hips back and forth. This is different than any normal toy that Goro is accustomed to, so he takes his time and is careful not to hurt him. He seems to be enjoying himself though. The way his eyes shut tightly, his hands reach up to grip at the bed sheets and pull at them. All the while an orchestra of moans very soon begins to sound out of him. It’s nothing less than an incredible feeling. It’s everything they’d ever wanted within each other. 

They feel connected. 

They feel  _ loved _ . 

Goro’s honey-auburn hair creates a halo around his head as he’s fucked into the mattress. His lips are slightly agape and he’s panting while quietly calling for Akira’s name. He looks beautiful like this. So, so beautiful.   
  


Akira can not contain himself at the sight. There’s only two thoughts plaguing his mind currently and that’s Goro and the raven’s unyielding desire to take him whole, protect him, cherish him— _devour him._

Akira allows his instincts to overtake him, leaning in once more to pepper his new lover’s porcelain skin with kisses and teethmarks alike. Pressing his equally swollen lips against the soft flesh, lapping stripes with his tongue, and biting down. The constant notions elicit even more sweet gasps from the brunette’s hoarse throat, ones in which Akira feels like his mind could treasure for eternity. Sounds he wishes he could hear over and over and over again and never _ever _tire of their symphony.   


He never wants to let him go. Never wants those sweet, delicate cries of lust and affection to cease. It’s downright addicting hearing someone so normally collected and composed as Goro mewling in delight as Akira continues to drag his lips across his collar bone and leave patterns of red blemishes in every spot he can muster.   


  
On the brink of their orgasm, Goro looks up and he doesn’t see the plain, white rutters of his apartment ceiling. No, he sees  _ Akira _ . Beautiful, sweet, loving, loyal  _ Akira _ . And his face contorted with love and desire just as much as him. The sight alone is enough to cause small tears to prick at the corners of his eyes as his grip on the sheets intensifies to the point where the faint sound of fabric ripping apart fills his ears. 

“I love you, Goro,” he utters breathlessly. 

It is those words that finally do it in for him. The droplets in his eyes turn to full-on tears that begin streaming down his face as he smiles with a fast-saving heart and returns the gesture. 

“I love  _ you… _ Akira—AAH!!”

The far too familiar pool of heat within his stomach instantly turns to a burning heat as his climax hits him at last, and judging by the way Akira’s pace is increasing into erratic, uncalculated thrusts, it appears his has as well. 

The both of them groan aloud, filling the room with their shameless and wanton cries as their orgasm hit the both of them simultaneously by some miracle. Hot streaks of white coat both of their stomachs while Goro gets to revel in the feeling of his new lover’s warmth pulsing and leaking from his properly fucked and filled hole. 

The two of them merely stay like that for a moment, staring into each other with the warmest smiles and even warmer eyes. 

… That is, until the area around them begins to shake violently as small rubble from the ceiling falls to the floor below to signal that the palace is indeed falling apart. 

Goro’s smile turns to a realizing frown. 

“Shit.”

.

.

.

** _*Creeaak..*_ **

Ann, Makoto, and Morgana alike all immediately turn their heads towards the door as it suddenly re-opens. Except to their surprise, the  _ shadow _ limps out. 

“Y-You!” shouts Morgana as he draws his blade, followed by the others producing their weapons as well in anticipation. Ann lowers hers a tad when she notices the blade. 

“Wait, I think he’s injured.” 

The shadow simply smiles solemnly as he leans against the doorframe. “Oh, stop it. I am no longer a threat to you. Your friends have won.”

“Won?” says Makoto, confused. “They really won? Then… where are they—”

_ “Prince Goro!!” _

The three thieves are stricken as a sudden, familiar voice calls from the stairs, followed by what sounds to be the slight clanking of metal. The shadow especially looks confused. 

“Huh..?” 

Out of the darkness of the stairwell below, emerges what appears to be a knight suited in a deep-black armor. The thieves observe curiously. 

“Hey… is that—”

“The weird armored figure we saw in the woods back then?” 

The strange figure immediately runs past the thieves and over to the shadow in particular to embrace the defeated creature in a hug. The shadow blinks. 

“Who are...?” The shadow prince is visually confused for a solid moment until realization strikes him. In an instant his hands reach up to pull off the helmet from the mysterious figure and the second he does, his glowing, yellow eyes light up. 

“Y-You’re— I-It’s you…”

“I’m so, so sorry I’m late. I came the moment I could get inside.”

All three of the thieves’ jaws instantly drop when they register who exactly the knight’s face belongs to. 

“Uh, Akira!?” Queen stammers, codenames be damned at this point. 

“Wait,  _ that’s  _ the  _ knight!?  _ W-Why does he look like Joker!?” says Mona. “Why is he Joker??” 

It only takes Ann a moment to figure it out and the moment she does she puts a hand to her cheek. “Ohh, I guess they finally did it…” 

“Did what?? What did they do!?”

The cognitions simply ignore the thieves’ incessant commotion as the shadow looks into his waiting knight’s gray eyes and sighs. “Oh Akira…” Wrapping his arms around his armored neck, he then pulls the knight into deep kiss. The haze of light which already surrounded the shadow before begins to overtake him completely as the two cognitions fade away into thin air. Just as every other palace ruler. Albeit it leaves Morgana even more confused than before. 

“WHAT’S GOING ON!?”

To make matters even more outrageous, a familiar rumbling begins to sound from all around them as the floor underneath them cracks into forming debris. 

“The palace is falling apart!?” says Queen. 

** _*SLAM* _ **

Just then, Joker and Crow both concurrently burst through the door, clothes a frantic mess as they yank at their teammates and begin running down the stairs to escape. 

“G-Guys— Wait, why is Crow wearing your coat?”

“WHERE ON EARTH ARE YOUR  _ PANTS!?”  _ yells Mona. Panther simply shakes her head and groans. 

“No time to explain—Just run!!” orders Akira. 

  
  
  



	5. Epilogue

_   
Three days later… _

  
  


It’s late in the evening. Sojiro is downstairs as usual. As well as a few of the thieves seated around the bar area who stopped by to visit their friend a few moments ago. Ann, Ryuji, and Makoto spend their idle time watching the boss wash dishes, brew, and tend to customers until a certain barista emerges from the attic dressed much nicer than usual. The old man has to pause for a moment to observe his attire. He laughs. 

“Huh, well look at  _ you _ . You look sharp.” Akira blushes and rubs at the back of his head, bashful. He doesn’t wear things like this often. 

“Whoa, yeah,” says Ryuji, mouth stuffed with spoonfuls of curry as he gawks at his friend’s appearance. “Faaancy~”

Ann laughs and rocks in her chair. “Yeah, it’s not often Akira wears something other than old jeans and a T-shirt.” 

“What’s the occasion?” asks Sojiro. 

“It’s a date,” says Akira as he finishes buttoning up. He slips on his grey coat and approaches the shop door. “I’ll be back before close.”

“Have fun,” the man laughs. 

“You guys are soo cute. Go have a good time!” cheers Ann. 

“A date…?” ponders Ryuji. “Oh, right. With Goro… Hey, you guys never did explain to me what happened durin’ the heist.”

Makoto’s face burns a slight red. “W-We told you, Goro and Akira fought the shadow and then they… took the treasure and left… that’s all.” 

“Well… yeah, but what  _ happened?  _ And why are they suddenly  _ dating?? _ I-I mean, I’m definitely happy for ‘em and all…but why’d they suddenly like each other after the palace?”

“ _ Suddenly Like each other? _ ” Ann groans. “God, you’re hopeless.”

“The hell you mean by that!?”

She sighs. “ _ Come on _ . You’re like their best friend! You never noticed the way they act around each other?”

“Like… friends?” Ann throws her head back into the air and sighs. “Oh my god. You. Are. Helpless.” 

“Okay, fine! But that still doesn’t answer my question on why they’re just  _ together now  _ after the palace!” he says. “What happened in there? What was his treasure!?”

The two girls look at each other. Makoto swallows nervously and sips her coffee while Ann scratches the back of her head trying to think of what to say. What  _ can  _ they say? Akira decides to stay out of it and let them handle it. He’s had enough embarrassment for one week. 

“Well!? What was his treasure!? Come ooon, I’m curious!” says the blonde impatiently. Ann bites her lip and sighs. She leans in to cup a hand around the rowdy boy’s ear and whispers. 

The last thing Akira hears as he opens the door and exits the small café is the sound of Ryuji’s high pitched shouting slicing through the quiet air. 

“…His  ** _WHAT!?”_ **

  
  


.

.

.

Ten minutes later, he’s at the train station, waiting as planned. It doesn’t take very long, however, for the prince of punctuality to appear before him at last. Scarf, peacoat, and all. 

“Hey...”

Akira puts his phone back into his pocket and whistles playfully as he looks the other boy’s attire up and down. “You look nice.” 

Goro purses his lips and blushes. “Stop that… so do you.” Akira laughs and takes his hand, leading the both of them to one of the nearby subways. 

The air is cold. Despite being bundled up, the frigid chill of winter still constantly nips at both of their skins. And yet, even so, they cannot help but feel warmer than ever before. A gentle, comforting sort of heat covers the whole of them, one that could be on par with that of the sun itself. 

“Hey.” The sound is muffled somewhat by the way Goro buries his face within his scarf. He isn’t looking at him, but something in those auburn eyes let’s Akira know that he’s more than okay. “Thank you.”

Akira’s eyes widen a bit. “Fooor…?”

“You  _ know  _ what for. For…” he hesitates, looking for the right words. “Helping me.”

“Aha,” there is no scarf to hide Akira’s heartwarming smile or to muffle his small giggle. Goro pouts at him. “And may I ask what is so funny?”

“If anything, I should probably thank  _ you _ . After all, if anything, we helped each other.”

“You think so..?”

“Mhm,” he nods. “You weren’t the only one hiding things and feeling like a coward, or like you were running away from your feelings. That whole...uh,  _ experience  _ in there made us  _ both  _ realize things about ourselves and each other. Even though it was, uh…embarrassing, I’m glad we went through it.” He smiles. 

Goro returns the expression but with a playful scoff. “I’m just amazed that it took a  _ palace  _ for the both of us to finally get over ourselves and confess.” 

“Yeah,” the raven laughs. “But, of course that’s not  _ all _ —”

“Yeah, yeah. I know. Starting next week I’m going to take up you and the other’s suggestions and…get help. In fact, Makoto has actually talked to Sae-san about the issues and her sister recommended me a professional she personally knows.” 

Akira’s eyes go soft. “I’m glad.” 

“So, yes. Again. I don’t care if you don’t want to hear it. Thank  _ you _ . If it weren’t for you and the others I likely would have never found the will to get off my ass and actually  _ do  _ something about my mental health and unethical coping mechanisms.” 

“But I’m serious, you don’t need to thank me. I told you before, I’d gladly do anything for you. I love you.” 

The nonchalant way Akira just  _ had  _ to say  _ those  _ words in particular causes Goro’s pout to twist into an odd morph of an embarrassed frown that’s struggling in trying not to turn into a giddy smile, all while a noticeably red blush burns into his chilled cheeks. Cute. 

“Aw, what’s the matter?” Akira teases. “Was it something I said?” 

Goro practically burrows himself into the sanctuary of his scarf. “You know  _ damn well  _ what you said.” Akira smiles. 

“Well, you better get used to it because I’m not gonna stop. Probably ever.” 

Goro’s eye twitches as he finds any excuse in the world to change the subject to something less  _ mushy.  _ He isn’t used to this much affection. Not that he doesn’t like it, of course. 

“M-May I ask where you are taking us?”

“Sushi.”

Goro’s eyes light up at that, of course. Cute. 

“Wow, my favorite. How did you  _ ever  _ know?”

“Do I have to answer that? You never shut up about getting some,” he laughs. “We’re going to that really nice one too, don't worry. The one in Akihabara?”

“Hmph, good choice.”

“Yeah, and then by the time we get back,” Akira stops and turns directly into the other boy, leaning in close to whisper hotly into his ear, “Leblanc will be closed, so we can have  _ ‘dessert.’”  _

“Mm,” Goro smirks at that, pleased as he turns to purr in response, “sounds like a plan.”

  
  
  
  
  


** _FIN._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp. That’s the end folks 
> 
> I just wanna say that this fic was incredibly fun to write and easily one of the most pleasurable things for me to write. This is honestly my proudest work in my eyes. I worked on this piece for an entire 9 months and I’m honestly extremely satisfied with how it turned out. I thoroughly enjoyed Planning, discussing, and writing out these scenes. I feel really really good about the whole thing, especially with it being my first ever long fic and I really hope y’all enjoyed it too. 
> 
> Thank you all so, so much for reading. It truly means a lot.


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